OME
eminent
Nigerians yesterday
expressed outrage over
alleged determination by
President Goodluck
Jonathan to contest the
2015 Presidency, saying
that the President should
not abandon his promise
to serve one term in office.
The indication that
Jonathan would throw his
hat into the ring was given
by his political god-father
and Ijaw leader, Chief
Edwin Clark, who spoke
in an interview to mark his
85th birthday in Abuja
T h u r s d a y .
Clark spoke against the
backdrop of the resolution
by the 19 Northern
Governors’ Forum of
Nigeria, NGFN, not to
support any presidential
candidate from the
Southern part of the
country
in
2015.
Apart from Ohanaeze
Ndigbo and the Arewa
Consultative Forum, ACF,
individuals who spoke
included a PDP member of
Board of Trustees, BoT,
Yahaya Kwande, Olopade
Agoro, former Governor of
old Kaduna State, Alhaji
Abdulkadir Balarabe
Musa, Col Joe Achuzia,
rtd, a chieftain of the
Congress for Progressive
Change, CPC, Alhaji
Isiaku Ibrahim, and a
Beninbased
Constitutional lawyer,
Olayinka Afolabi among
others. National Secretary
of Ohanaeze Ndigbo,
Chief Nduka Eya said
Jonathan
promised
Ndigbo that he would
spend only five years in
office, pointing out that if
he has changed his mind
to stay longer, he would
meet Ohanaeze for renegotiation, since it was
generally agreed that it ‘’is
our turn to produce the
next president after
J o n a t h a n . ’ ’
However, Yahaya Kwande
dared Jonathan to test his
popularity in 2015 saying
that the North would not
be intimidated by his
candidacy, just as an Igbo
socio-cultural
organisation, Igbozurume
said that it was the turn of
Ndigbo to produce the
2015 president.
We shall meet in the
field— Yahaya Kwande
I am not surprised that
Chief Edwin Clark made
that statement. It was the
like of Clark , who really
brought Jonathan to
power. They made him to
break the PDP agreement

on how presidency would
be rotated in the party.
And that action by Clark
and his likes denied the
north the right to contest
for presidency in 2011.
He is at it today. What he
has reportedly said
amounts to repeating
himself. But what I can say
is that we are not shaken
by that statesment. We
shall meet in the field.
Opportunity for PDP’s
defeat — Balarabe Musa
Former Governor of old
Kaduna State and
Chairman of the Coalition
of Nigerian Political
Parties, CNPP, Alhaji
Balarabe Musa said
Jonathan
had
the
“inalienable right’’ to
contest any election,
adding however that it
was for those opposed to
him to come together and
rally behind a candidate
that could defeat him.
“President Jonathan has
the inalienable right to
contest the 2015 general
election, but you know
that he has no morality; he
is not on any moral high
ground to do so. This is a
man who defied the
zoning arrangement of his
party even though he was
a signatory to the decision
that the south would rule
for eight years before it
would return to the north
for another eight years.
Clark has right to express
his views——Isyaku
Ibrahim
We are in a democracy and
everyone has the right to
say what he feels. Clark
has the right to express his
own views on national
issues. The president also
has the right to do
whatever he wants, but I
cannot say anything,
because Jonathan has not
said that he will contest. I
am in CPC and they are
in PDP. Every individual
has the right to say what
he likes because we are in
a democracy.
The statement was
reckless and ill-timed—
Olopade Agoro
The statement credited to
Chief Edwin Clark is
unexpected of an elder
statesman. It was a
reckless statement because
Jonathan has not been
able to have a focus since
he was elected and
someone is talking about
2015. I will say that bit was
a reckless and ill-timed
statement.
And
a
statement like that is
capable of setting the
country aflame and also
breed necessary passion.
Jonathan’s presidency is
already a threat to the
nation. This kind of

statement at this time is
capable of bringing down
his
government.
Olayiwola Afolabi, a
Benin based constitutional
lawyer and Notary Public
also asked the Ijaw
National leader, Chief
Clark to allow Nigerians
decide the political fate of
President Goodluck
Jonathan in 2015.
Afolabi said that although
the President has the right
to contest the 2015
presidential election,
Nigerians were yet to
savour the dividends of
democracy since he
assumed power a year ago
as all basic infrastructures
that would have bettered
the lives of Nigerians
have gone comatose.
“It is only Nigerians that
can decide whether he will
contest or not. He has
messed up the judiciary
particularly with the way
he is handling the Justice
Ayo Salami case. Virtually
all basic infrastructures
such as power, education,
health etc, e have gone
c o m a t o s e .
This is time for
governance, not 2015 —
Anthony Sani, ACF
I am not aware that Chief
Edwin Clark now speaks
for
President
Jonathan.This is because
he is not the spokes man.
As a result,I cannot have
a take on the basis of what
he claims to say for the
p r e s i d e n t .
However, it bears
repeating that this time is
not for politics of 2015,but
for governance.I thought
Mr President would be
allowed to concentrate on
the task of delivering on
the promise of democracy
instead of pushing him

Tajudeen Adebanjo of The Nation newspaper (m) flanked by Editor, Middle
East News Agency (MENA) Mr Ashraf Hamid (left) and Mariam Mahmoud
of Elmasry-Elyoum newspaper during the closing ceremony of the 39th
Training Course for African Journalists organised by UAJ in conjunction with
Egypt Ministries of Information and Media in Cairo, Egypt on Thursday
into politics of 2015 within
one
year
of
his
inauguration.
It is too early to forget that
President Jonathan told
the world in Addis Ababa
that four years were
enough for him to deliver.
Abu King Shukuwa
Peoples Democratic Party
stalwart, Chief Abu King
Shukuwa said the
constitutional right of
President Goodluck
Jonathan to run for the
2015 presidential election
is not questionable but
noted that it behoves the
PDP to either decline his
candidature or offer him
the
ticket.
His words, “Everybody in
Nigeria as a Nigerian is
free to contest for the
presidency because the
constitution of the country
guarantees that, but
whether he emerges or not
depends on the party.
But one thing is certain, he

will definitely not enjoy
the support of all
Nigerians. Even in
Bayelsa State, there will be
people who will not
support
him.
”I for one will not support
him, but if he picks the
party’s ticket, I will vote
for him as a true and loyal
party man.”
Secretary General of
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief
Nduka Eya
Ohanaeze has come out
with its stand about the
president and there is a
book in which our
President General, Chief
Ralph Uwechue, had
analyzed since three years
ago. We do not want to
dabble into politics, but the
fact is that when Jonathan
was contesting, he said he
will only do only one term.
That was what he said. So,
the stand of Ohanaeze

about presidency 2015 is
clear. These are facts.
If Jonathan changes his
mind which he has a right
to change as a citizen, our
position has always been
consistent. Equality of
zones as envisaged in
geopolitical creation by
Karibi-Whyte committee
on the review of the
Constitution is that the
present geopolitical zones
should remain: SouthSouth, South East, South
West, North East, North
Central and Northwest.
And it has been
operational and they call
it
conventional.
So, Igbo people supported
Jonathan for the same
argument that this project
called Nigeria belongs to
all of us, and that at 52
years, a section of this
country has monopolized
the leadership of that
master-key position called
the president.If he wants
another term, we have to
renegotiate.

HE Supreme Court,
yesterday, dismissed
an appeal that sought to
sack
Governor
Theophilus Orji of Abia
state from office on
grounds that he was not
validly nominated by the
Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, to contest the
last
general
elections.Orji described
the judgement as victory
for democracy.The suit
which was filed by a
factional gubernatorial
candidate of the PDP in
the state, Chief Ikechi
Emenike, challenged the
validity of a parallel
primary election that
saw the emergence of
Governor Orji as the
flag-bearer of the party
in
the
state.

Specifically, whereas
Emenike participated
and won the primary
election that was
conducted by the State
Executive Committee of
the party, Gov Orji on
the other hand emerged
from
a
congress
conducted by the
National Executive
Committee, NEC, of the
PDP, with both exercises
allegedly monitored by
officials
of
the
Independent National
Electoral Commission,
I
N
E
C
.
Aside his contention
that the Governor
emerged
from
a
kangaroo process, the
appellant told the apex
court that as at the time
the said primary
elections
were
conducted, Governor

Orji was not a member
of the PDP. “The fourth
respondent [Gov. Orji]
did not submit any
nomination form for the
election
or
any
m e m b e r s h i p
registration card of the
PDP which is one of the
requirements in the
nomination form. The
substance of our case is
that having regard to
the provisions of
sections 87 [3], [4] and
[6], the conduct of the
PDP in handpicking
Governor Orji is an
affront to Section 87 [9]
of the Electoral Act.
However, in their
unanimous judgment, a
five-man panel of
justices of the Supreme
Court held that only the
NEC of a political party
has the powers to
nominate a candidate to

be sponsored for any
given electoral contest.
In the lead judgment
which was prepared
and read by Justice John
Afolabi
Fabiyi
yesterday, Supreme
Court maintained that
“the court below did a
nice job by affirming
Orji’s victory. The court
said, “the point relating
to membership of the 4th
respondent was raked
up and unduly elevated
at appeal. Even if it
were to be found that
the 4 th respondents
membership was faulty,
it will still not validate
the
appellant’s
nomination by an
unauthorised State
Executive Committee
which ‘modified’ Exhibit
7- the 1st Respondents
Electoral Guidelines
without due vires.”

6 — SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012

Jonathan assures of
press freedom
BY BEN AGANDE,
Abuja

P

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yes
terday assured
members of the Nigerian
Union of Journalists that the
freedom guaranteed media
practitioners in the discharge of their constitutional responsibility would not
be tempered with by his
administration just as the
freedom of the press is enshrined in the country’s
constitution.
The President who spoke
while declaring open the
Fourth Triennial National
Delegates’ Conference of
the NUJ in Abuja also denied media reports that he
had sent a list of ministerial nominees to the State
Security Service for screening.
According to the president, the rights granted
members of the Fourth Estate of the realm should be
discharged with corresponding responsibilities.
“I am a firm believer in
the right and obligation of
the media as enshrined in
our constitution. I assure
you all today that under my
leadership, journalists in
our country will continue to
fully enjoy their constitutional rights and freedom
of expression.
“I am also fully convinced
that the imperative of sustaining and nurturing our
democracy required the
existence of the very professional and practitioners
of the mass media.
“My administration is
very conscious of the vital
role that the mass media has
to play in engendering
support for our transformation agenda and is therefore committed to properly
enhance the practice.
“It was in this regard that
led to our enactment of the
FOI Law to further enhance
the ability of our dear practitioners to discharge their
duties.
“My administration will
have nothing to do with
those who try to curtail or
abuse the right of the mass
media,” the president noted.
He advised journalists
to ensure that their accounts of events is fair,
balance and accurate, saying that they should be wary
of manipulations by politicians and selfish people
with sectional motives to
the detriment of collective
national interest.
The president enjoined
media practitioners to go
the mile to cross check their

facts and ensure that only
the truth are published.
While condemning the
recent attacks on media
houses by suspected terrorists, the President commended Nigerian journalists for remaining resolute
despite the attacks.
He urged media practitioners to continue to foster
peace, religious tolerance
and harmony in the country.
The president of the
NUJ, Mr. Shehu Garba,
in his speech earlier called
on the federal government
and security agencies
to address the current security challenges in the
country in order to provide
more conducive atmosphere for journalists to carry out their duties.
He said the union under his leadership had set
up a committee to sanitise
the profession and rid the
society of quacks.
While commending the
National Assembly for
passing the Freedom of
Information Act, the NUJ
president called on all
stakeholders to continue to
work towards a better remuneration for journalists
Minister of Information,
Mr. Labaran Maku, commended the constructive
role the media have been
playing in the present administration.
The President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr.
Gbenga Adefaye, who
spoke at the occassion however disagreed with the
minister of Information,
Labaran Maku saying that
what terrorists should be
denied is “licence.”
”On terrorism, We will not
deny them freedom but we
will deny them licence.
Freedom is a bigger burden on the media. To defeat this, the government
needs to take more people
into confidence, let’s collectively work together but it
will not work for us all if we
continue to draw the line.
It is important to build confidence and close gaps,” he
said.

media have been reporting the security challenges
in the country.
While admitting that journalists are expected to perform their roles with patriotism, he stressed that terrorists should not be given
platforms to propagate
their evil agenda.

He warned that terrorists
won’t spare the media, say-

L-R: Ondo State Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Nicholas Tofowomo,
Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko and Secretary to the State Government, Dr.
Rotimi Adelola, during the distribution of palliative Buses and Taxis to the
Ondo State Chapter of NURTW members, in Akure.

OVERNOR of Riv
ers State, Mr Chibuike Amaechi yesterday
blamed failed leadership
for the current challenges of insecurity in the
country.
Amaechi said that,
“what the ruling class has
provided are political, social and economic violence but what the people
want is social and economic reality by ensuring
that the state is properly
policed.’’
He spoke at a two-day
seminar for members of
the House of Representatives ad-hoc Committee
on Review of the 1999
Constitution, asking the
law makers to produce a
workable document that
will free the Nigerian people from the shacles of
insecurity, poverty and

poor development.
Former Justice of the
Supreme Court, Justice
Adolphus Karibi Whyte
who chaired the occasion
also called for separate
constitutions for the federal and state governments in the country saying such a move would
strengthen the nation’s
federalism just as he
called for pruning down
the number of Supreme
Court justices and increasing their retirement
age from 70 to 80, while
their counterparts in the
Court of Appeal retire at
75.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has however
called for about 12
amendments to the 1999
constitution.
National Chairman of
INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega
in his address at the two
day retreat in Port Harcourt said the Commis-

sion should be allowed to
determine the order of the
conduct of elections in
such a way that no political party should have undue advantage over the
other.
But Amaechi said that,
the Boko Haram, Oodua
People’s Congress, OPC,
and militancy in the Niger Delta were products
of failed leadership.
”Iam not exonerating myself. Iam part of the failed
leadership of the country
but it started long time
ago, please the amendment should be the one
that suits the nation. History is in the making here
and national issues
should mount the centre

Don’t turn election into war
— Mimiko
to turn the coming Octo-

O

NDO State gover
nor, Dr. Olusegun
Mimiko has warned the
opposition in the state not

Babcock Varsity to launch College of
Medicine, holds convocation June 3

B

ABCOCK Universi
ty, Ilisan-Remo,
Ogun State, is about to
change the face of medical practice in Nigeria
amidst growing concerns
of poor medicare in the
country. As it rolls out
plans for the inauguration
of its Benjamin S. Carson
Snr. School of Medicine
on June 1, 2012, optimism
is high that soon Nigerians would not have to travel outside the shores of
this country to receive excellent healthcare.
Senior Vice President/
Provost of the College,
Prof. Iheanyi Okoro said
the inauguration will mark
the climax of the institu-

tion’s zeal for world class
health care in the country
and indeed, the continent.
He further stated that this
passion accounts for the
choice of the naming of
the school after renowned
American paediatric neurosurgeon, Dr. Benjamin
Carson (Snr.), who will be
the guest speaker.
“The Ben Carson Medical School is designed to
honour him as a role model to the students of the
school,” he said, adding,
“a doctor without competence is a murderer.”
The event will attract top
leaders, captains of industries, international researchers and profession-

stage as the autonomy of
state assemblies can be
resolved without a constitutional amendment,” he
said.
This was even as the
House of Representatives
Speaker, Aminu Waziri
Tambuwal said that the
costitutional review exercise was not targeted at
anybody or group of people.
According to Tambuwal,
‘’this exercise is aimed at
no individual, nor group
of persons, rather we are
making sure that we have
a document that captures
the yearning and aspirations of the Nigerian people and in certain cases
strengthen democratic institutions.”

als within and outside the
country. Already, the 140bed Teaching Hospital
with Anatomy and Pathology laboratories are ready,
including a Radio Diagnostic laboratory with the
MRI-CT ahead of the inauguration.
Also, the university is set
to hold its 12th Convocation ceremony, June 3,
2012. For the first time in
the institution’s history,
the School of Post-graduate Studies which began
in 2010, will be presenting 60 candidates for the
award of the Masters degree, 20 others for the
Doctor of Philosophy, including 1476 graduates.

ber 20th gubernatorial
election in the state to a
war.
Governor Mimiko gave
the warning in Akure yesterday while presenting
200 palliative taxi cabs
recently purchased by the
state government to the
National Union of Road
Transport
Workers
(NURTW).
The vehicles are part of
the 290 vehicles which
included 50 Hiace buses,
twenty 59-seater and
twenty 26-seater buses
acquired to ease transportation in the state.
Presenting the taxis to
the operators, Mimiko
warned the opposition to
desist from turning the
October 20, 2012 governorship election into a
war.He said, “Let me
warn those preparing for
this October 20 gubernatorial election as if they are
going to war to desist
from such a plan. We
don’t want bloodshed.”

GUN State governor,
Senator Ibikunle
Amosun, has said that no
society can develop
without adequate power
supply, noting that the
breakthroughs in other
fields
of
human
endeavours such as
medicine, engineering,
Information
and
Communication
Technology (ICT) and
industrial development of
countries like Japan,
China and Korea are
hinged on adequate
supply of electricity.
The governor stated this
yesterday at the Memorial
President Goodluck Jonathan flanked by the President Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye (l) and the Arcade ground, OkeNUJ National President Mohammed Garba while the FCT Minister Sen. Bala Mohammed and others joined in a Mosan, Abeokuta during
group photograph during the opening ceremony of the 4th Triennial National Delegates’ Conference Held at
the flag-off of the
Yar’adua Centre, Abuja. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida
distribution of 500
transformers purchased
by the government of
Ogun State.
Amosun said “any

HE
national
leadership of the
Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP has urged Christians
across the country to
ignore statements by the
President, Christian
Association of Nigeria,
CAN,
Pastor
Ayo
Oritsejafor for castigating
the National Chairman of
the party, Alhaji Bamanga
Tukur.
According to PDP, rather
than tongue lash the PDP
and its leadership, the
party must not only be
hailed, but should be
emulated by other political parties and organizations whose activities connect directly or indirectly
to the unity of the nation.
In a statement signed by
the PDP National Publicity
Secretary, Chief Olisa
Metuh yesterday in Abuja,
the party noted that the
CAN President got what it
termed the harmless
statement of the party’s
National
Chairman
wrong.
It would be recalled that

when the PDP National
Chairman,
Alhaji
Bamanga Tukur received
a delegation of Gombe
state PDP led by the
governor, Alhaji Ibrahim
Hassan Dankwambo to the
Wadata Plaza last week,
had said that the Boko
Haram activities that have
led to loss of lives and

property destroyed was a
reaction to injustice.
According to Tukur, Boko
Haram was another name
for injustice by those
people who may have
been deprived, just as he
called on Governors of the
North East to create
employment for the youths
in the area as a way of reducing the level of inse-

curity in the zone, adding
that the youths will continue to agitate for one thing
or the other, once they are
hungry.
He stated that youth
restiveness were primarily
hunger-induced, just as
he urged the governors to
find a lasting solution to
this major problem.

BY DAUD OLATUNJI,
Abeokuta

P

ANIC
gripped
residents of Abeokuta,
Ogun state capital
yesterday when the news
filtered round that, the
paramount ruler and the
Alake of Egbaland,Oba
Adedotun
Aremu
Gbadebo
escaped
death
following a
mysterious inferno that
destroyed a section of his
p a l a c e .
Coincidentally,Speaker of

was in company with a
security aide, was forcefully stopped along Abiola
way before his official ash
Toyota Avensis marked
Ogun AYE 86 AA was
snatched by the robbers at
gunpoint. When contacted,

N

IGERIA Union of
Petroleum
and
Natural Gas Workers,
NUPENG, yesterday gave
the
Lagos
State
Government up till
Monday to resolve all its
differences with the

O

NE of the People’s
Democratic Party
(PDP) aspirants for the
local government area
chairmanship election
Warri North, Mr Alawei
Miyebi-Balas,
has

striking Lagos doctors and
recall all the sacked
doctors unconditionally,
failing which members in
Lagos and its environs
would down tool and join
the striking doctors.
President of NUPENG,
Comrade Igwe Achese,
who made this known in

debunked a story in a
daily yesterday that Delta
State PDP has adopted an
Itsekiri youth leader and
activist, Mr Omolubi
Newuwumi, as consensus
candidate for the chairmanship of Warri north.
Disclosing this in an interview with newsmen
yesterday at his Warri
base, Balas described the
story as a cock and bull
one, wondering where the
party primaries took place
before the emergence of
the so-called consensus
candidate.

the electrification of 33
communities
in
Uhunmwode
Local
Government Council of
the state.
Governor
Adams

NUPENG warns Lagos govt on doctors’ strike
BY VICTOR AHIUMAYOUNG

Brief
LG poll: Aspirant debunks
consensus candidate rumour

Alake escapes death as Ogun speaker loses official car to
robbers
Ogun state House of learnt that, Adekunbi, who the speaker’s Special AssisAssembly,
Suraj
Adekunbi lost one of his
official cars to five-man
gang of armed robbers
who waylaid him on
Thursday night in
A b e o k u t a .
Saturday Vanguard

nation that cannot provide
adequate
energy,
particularly, electricity, is
not capable of industrial
development,” regretting
that the poor power
supply in the country had
taken a toll on commercial
activities and inhibited
the growth of Small and
Medium
Scale
Enterprises (SMEs).
He
declared
that
electricity was a propeller
of
economic
and
technological
development, which must
be continuously available
and commended the
Federal Government for
the liberalisation of the
power industry in Nigeria
through issuance of
licenses to private
organisations and state
governments to generate
and distribute electricity.

Lagos, said NUPENG
could not continue to fold
its hands and watch poor
Nigerians in Lagos who
could not afford the cost of
private hospitals die due
to the ongoing industrial
action. He said even
though the union was
aware that the matter was

in the court, NUPENG
could not the trust the lives
of innocent Nigerians in
the hand of Judiciary,
insisting that meaningful
dialogue between both
parties must be done this
weekend to ensure that
the matter was resolved or
the union would join the
strike.

Oshiomhole
who
disclosed this during a
rally in Ehor, said the
project is expected to be
completed by December
this year. However, the
governor regretted that
the water bore-hole
constructed in the area
was not functioning
contrary
to
the
information available to
him and assured that
government will direct
the State Rapid Response
Agency to drill more
boreholes
in
the
communities.
While urging the
people of the area to be

vigilant ahead the
f o r t h c o m i n g
governorship election,
Oshiomhole assured that
his second coming in
office will bring more
development to the
people. Also speaking at
the rally, the Special
Adviser to the Governor
on Political Matters and
leader of the party in the
area, Charles Idahosa,
described Oshiomhole as
God sent to the people
of the area and stressed
the need for the people
to vote wisely despite
their political affiliations.

OLLOWING the
turnout of patients
at the various 84 centres
provided by the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners
of Nigeria, AGPMPN,
Lagos State Chapter, the
association has drafted
the additional 1,116 private hospitals to cushion
the effects of the strike.
Also, the association had
called for immediate conveyance of Health Summit in the state.
Reviewing the performance of the earlier 84
hospitals earmarked to
offer free services, the
State Chairman, AGPMPN Dr.Olayinka Oladosu who explained the

rationale behind the establishment of the centres
noted that the intention
was to ameliorate the situation not to be total substitute to Government
hospitals.
His words, “Even the
1,200 centers cannot solve
all the problems. We are
trying to ameliorate; we
cannot solve all the problems. However, the services that the centre is offering are actually free of
charge but beneficiaries
must be card carrying of
State Hospitals. Right
now, we have some hospitals that are still functioning like General hospital, Igando, Mainland
General hospital, Harvey
Road hospital, Yaba.”.
Oladosu, however, declared that not all the gov-

ernment hospitals are
closed down and patients
are being referred from the
private hospitals to government hospitals that
are still running.
“If the case is beyond
what the private hospital
can handle, we take the
patient in our vehicles to
government hospitals that
are still functioning. If
the emergencies are what
we can handle, we treat
them”
On the issue that not all
the 1,200 private hospitals
were contacted before listing them, Oladosu debunked the insinuation
that AGPMPN is pro government, stating that the
association is neither progovernment nor pro Lagos
doctors but pro – masses
and the down trodden in
the society.

The Anglican Bishop of Lagos Mainland Diocese, Prof. Adebayo Akide(right)
and Gov. Peter Obi (left) at the Synod of the Diocese at All Saints Anglican
Church, Yaba, yesterday .

Imoke leads raid on oil bunkering haven

*107 tankers seized, barges set ablaze

T

EN hand dug
boats, two barges
and several thousands of
containers used in illegal
lifting of petroleum products in Akpabuyo and
Bakassi local government
areas of Cross River State

Ex-APGA chieftain calls for restructuring of party
…He is on his own, says APGA
BY CHRIS OCHAYI,
Abuja

E

RSTWHILE
chieftain of All
Progressives Grand
Alliance, APGA, Chief
Edwin
Ugochukwu
Nchonwu has called on
National
Working
Committee of the party
under Chief Victor Umeh
and Alhaji Sani Shinkafi,
national chairman and

national
secretary
respectively, to start a
process
for
total
restructuring of the party.
Chief Ugochukwu who
stated this in Abuja while
speaking with newsmen
on the ongoing crisis in
the party, said, all
sacrifices that will enable
peace to reign in APGA
should be made because
according to him, “the
party is the flag of

Ndigbo.”
The former state
Chairman of APGA in the
FCT maintained that the
Chief Victor Umeh
leadership of the party
has overstayed its
welcome and therefore,
should commence a
process for the conduct of
congresses into the
various offices.
The former member of
Zik’s Saturday Vanguard
of the NCNC era claimed
that “Chief Umeh has
become the National

Chairman of APGA,
through appointment
since seven years ago and
wondered why he has not
been able to organize any
party election at the
national, state and local
government levels.
Chief Nchonwu who is
now a member of PDP,
said he joined APGA in
2006 and later became
chairman in Gwagwalada
Area Council from where
he was subsequently
appointed the Acting
State chairman for Federal
Capital Territory, FCT.

were Thursday set ablaze
during a raid by security
personnel led by the state
governor, Senator Liyel
Imoke.
Also, about 107 tankers
laden with petroleum
products and pumping
machines were seized
during the raid that lasted over six hours.
Localities raided during
the operation included
Esuk Mba beach, Akpabuyo and Ikang Primary Health Care Centre,
Esuk Ekonke Beach, Shell

Obi is exemplary in leadership
—Bishop Akide

T

HE Anglican Bishop
of Lagos Mainland
Diocese, Prof. Adebayo
Akide
has described
Gov. Peter Obi as an exemplary Governor imbued with the fear of God
and love for the people.
He said this yesterday at

N D I C AT I O N
emerged yesterday
that Federal Government might have made
a u-turn on the scope
of the proposed increase
in the electricity tariff
,leaving out people in
rural areas and low income earners in the country.
The Minister of Power,
Professor Bart Nnaji
gave the hint in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital
at the flag-off of the distribution of 500 transformers procured by communities in the state.
The Minister who was
represented by Director
of Power in his ministry,
Sanusi Garba, declared
that the new tariff will
bring about lower rates for

rural as well as urban
“less well-to-do” dwellers.
He further explained
that the new tariff regime
which will come into
effect by June 1st this year
will end the era of estimated bills hitherto experienced by consumers in
the country.
Ït is very important to
inform the public here

Road, Ikang and Edik
Idim.
Imoke, who was accompanied by service commanders and operatives
of the state’s Quick Intervention Squad, said it
was unfortunate that illegal lifting of petroleum
products and blood-money making business was
thriving in those communities. He said these activities were not only illegal but also destructive to
the environment and social settings of those areas.

present that, the new tariff would result in lower
rates for rural dwellers
and the urban less wellto-do. Consumers with
relatively higher levels of
consumption would pay
appropriate rates which
are significantly lower
than the cost of self generation.

the 3rd Session of the 2nd
Synod of the Mainland
Anglican Diocese, Yaba,
Lagos, holding at All
Saints Anglican Church,
Yaba.
Decrying the ills in the
society, he singled out
Gov. Obi as one of the few
Governors that have
shown commitment to the
people. Insisting that Anambra State has become
a better State in all ramifications since he became
Governor, he described
him as “ a political icon
in a class of his own.” He
prayed for God to continue to protect him as he
offers leadership to the
people.

O fewer than
20,000 applicants
are to compete for honours
in the essay writing competition being sponsored
by an educationist and

Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) governorship aspirant in the July 14 election
in Edo state, Mr. Kenneth
Imansuangbon.
The competitors drawn
from the 36 states of Nigeria are to converge in
Ajuba and Benin City to-

day (Saturday) respectively for the knowledge
driven and intellectual
test aimed at showcasing
their potentials on the topic of the essay “Discipline
and Hard work, not destiny determine success in
life.”

L - R: Ogun State Deputy Governor, Prince Segun Adesegun; Ogun State
governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; and Director of Power (representing
the Minister of Power), Mr. Sanusi Garuba; during the official flag-off of the
distribution of 500 transformers to communities in Ogun State yesterday.

HE family of late
Idowu
Halima
Sadiya Aliyu who was
killed by a cannibal man
has called on the federal
government and police
to ensure that the killer
of their daughter did not
go
unpunished.
Late Idowu, 22, a student of School of Technology, Zamfara State
who hails from Egayi village in Ajaokuta Local
government of Kogi State
was on May 2. 2012 al-

leged to have been killed
by one Jimoh Obabu Salau (a cannibal) who disguised as an Okada man
and lured the victim to
the bus while conveying
her to a motor -park.
Head of the family, Mr.
Aliyu Onuto, who spokewith Saturday Vanguard
at his family compound
in Egayi, Ajaokuta said
late Idowu was killed on
her way to board a vehicle to Zamfara State
where she was schooling.
Mr. Aliyu noted in dismay that despite the suspect has been arrested
for long and has con-

HE Delta State
Government is
considering engaging
the Economic and Fi-

nancial Crime Commission, EFCC, in the recovery of the over N29billion
owed it by 135 companies
operating in the state.
Hon. Joel-Onowakpo Thomas, Executive Chairman, Delta State Board of
Internal Revenue, DBIR,

has said on Thursday
that the companies
which evaded various
forms of taxes were however given two weeks to
pay the debt or face the
consequences of the
law.
Joel-Onowakpo while

speaking at a press
briefing, carpeted some
banks which failed to
remit to government coffer, after collecting taxes on behalf of the
board.
He, however said that
a team of investigators

Police arrest killer robbers
BY ISIAKA OYIBO,
Lokoja

the young lady.
He said”the suspects

T

H E Po l i c e in
Kogi yesterday
arrested a group of
armed robbery suspects who allegedlly
hacked to death Miss
Idowu Aliyu, last
weekend in Okene
Local Government
Area of the state.
Miss Idowu, a student of Shool of
Heailth Technology,
Zamfara State was
accosted by a group
of three armed men
last weekend at a
near by bush at about
3 kilometers to the
Okene main town
where they strangulated her and thereafter hit her on the
head with iron rod.
The State Commissioner of Policen Mohammed Katsina,
who confirmed the
arrest while briefing
newsmen yesterday
said a team of crack
detectives acting on
intellengece information arrested the
hoodlums when they
were preparing to
butcher the corpse of

HAIRMAN of the
breakaway All Progressives Grand Alliance,
APGA, in Anambra State, Dr.
Godson Emebo warned yesterday that unless a fresh
congress of the party was
held in Anambra State at the
ward, local government and
state levels, the party should
forget winning election in
the state because most members in all the 326 wards in
the state were disenchant-

the three levels.
Emebo, along with some
members of the party in
Anambra State, recently
formed what they called
APGA stakeholders forum
and said their loyalty would
henceforth go to Chief
Sylvester Nwobu Alor,
Governor Peter Obi’s special adviser on parks and
markets who is championing the restructuring of
APGA.

Ukwuani union felicitates with Chief
Clark
Ekele, President and Public-

T

HE leading sociocultural organisation for
Ukwuani people in Lagos,
Ukwuani Foundation Union
(UFU) has joined other well
meaning Nigerians in wishing Chief E.K. Clark happy
birthday on the occasion of his
85th birthday celebration.
In a release signed by Chief
Joseph Olise and Alaska

ity Secretary of the union respectively, the octogenarian
is one man that earns the respect of Deltans in particular
and Nigerians in general for
his fearlessness, forthrightness, truthfulness and unassuming dispositions.
Apart from being workaholic, he is being described as
a role model to Nigerians.

woman,two kids and a
police woman in the
vicinity and reportedly ate their flesh.
The police. While
appealing to members
of the public to assist
the police through
useful information renewed resolve of the
command to make
Kogi State uninhabitable for criminals.

has been put in place to
investigate the activities
of these banks that have
remained adamant in
spite of efforts by the
Board to get them complied.
According to him, a lot
of companies in the
state avoided paying
taxes, adding that the
board was not going to
tolerate the situation.
Joel-Onohwakpo noted
that the state government in its determination for an increased Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, would
leave no stone unturned
in recovering what is
due
it.
The Chairman disclosed
that some of the defaulters had gone ahead to
obtain court injunction
restraining the board
from taking action
against them.

fessed to have committed
the crime, he is yet to be
charged to court for prosecution ”Idowu had
dreams but could not live
to actualised that dream
due to blood thirsty Jimoh. I understand he
killed his wife (a police
officer) in 2003 and was
allowed to go scot free
without punishment. If
justice had prevailed
that time, this would not
have happened.
Continuing, “Today it
is Idowu, tomorrow it
might be another person.
All that we want is for justice to be done,” he said.
Mr. Aliyu, an Uncle to
the late victim who revealed that the late Idowu and her sibling lost
their parents recently
and that he has suffered
to take care of her along
with her younger siblings; wondered why Jimoh could take the life
of her innocent niece
who was not only promising but look as if she
will aid the family after
graduation. Kogi state
police command are however saying the delay in
prosecuting Jimoh Salau
is the fact that they believed he must have accomplish who buy some
of the human parts from
him as he could not have
been alone in the crime.
The state Police Commissioner, Mohammed Katsina said the cannibal
who was dismissed from
Army was known to eat
the inside of his victim
and selling the other
parts to ritualists; ‘so, the
command is still investigating to get behind
those buying the human
parts from him’

ULTAN of Sokoto,
His Eminence Sa’ad
Abubakar has decried the
incessant attacks on Tiv
farmers in parts of Benue
State by Fulani herdsmen
warning that there was an
urgent need to find lasting
solution to the clashes which
had claimed over 80 lives in
recent
times.
The monarch stated this yesterday in Makurdi, where he
was billed to commission the
reconstructed Makurdi Central Mosque, a project undertaken by the Governor

Suswam led administration.
He said while in the state,
he would convene a meeting of elders of the affected
Tiv communities and Fulani
herdsmen with a view to restoring peace and confidence among the affected
parties.
The Sultan disclosed that
he had earlier constituted a
peace committee headed by
the Tor Tiv, HRH Akawe
Torkula and Emir of Gombe
with the aim of arresting the
crisis but regretted that despite the efforts, the skirmishes have continued unabated.
While emphasizing the

need to promote peace in
the country, the traditional
ruler eulogized the gesture
of Benue state governor, Mr
Gabriel Suswam who he
said put aside religious and
tribal differences to assist the
Muslim community in the
state to reconstruct an ancient mosque in Makurdi.
Governor Suswam in his
response, appreciated the
visit and concern of the monarch to the state in ensuring
peace between the Tiv farmers and Fulani herdsmen,
stating that the traditional
ruler had always proffered
solutions to arrest the incessant clashes.

10 — SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012

13 years of Democracy:

Looted hopes from
leaders steering
Nigeria to its end

became thoroughly corrupt and reckless. Members of the public had to
bribe their way through in ministries
and parastatals to get attention and
one government agency had to bribe
another government agency to obtain
the release of their statutory allocation
of funds.
“The impact of official corruption is
so rampant and has earned Nigeria a
very bad image at home and abroad.
Besides, it has distorted and retrogressed development”.
Of course, he promised to reverse
all, in a rare oration that pulled down
the wary stand of pessimists.
Looking back these 13 years of democracy, those past leaders that
Obasanjo so disparaged, would be
completely right if they asked for an
unreserved apology from Obasanjo,
who left Nigerians arguably, worse than
he met them .Virtually everything
Obasanjo said has remained the same,
and has even gone worse in some instances.
The tragedy of 13 years of Nigerian
democracy is even more vexing when
looked through Nigeria’s earning for
this duration.
According to analysts, the country
has grossed in far more income between 1999 and 2010 than the prior 35
years before 1999. It has been estimated that Nigeria’s GDP had jumped
from $90 billion in 1998 to about
$350 billion in 2009 alone, about 300%
and on an absolute value.
Yet on Human Development Index,
Nigeria remains among the most impoverished nations on earth, with an
estimated 79 million of its 150 million
populace living below the poverty
level.
The North Western part of Nigeria,
according to recent UNESCO rating,
has the lowest literary level in the
world.

he morning of 29th May, 1999
was like the first day in a new
recreated Nigeria after 29
years military tyranny.
Drumming, singing, dancing and jubilation filled the Eagle Square, Abuja
as Nigerians awaited the handover of
power from a military regime to a new
legitimately elected democratic government under the leadership of President Olusegun Obasanjo that morning.
It was same in all the 36 federating
states of Africa’s most populous country – celebrating a future full of hopes
for improved wellbeing of everyone.
The inaugural speech of President

Obasanjo even re-enforced this faith
the more, as Nigerians at the Eagles
Square and millions more who werewatching live on TV or listening over
the radio allowed tears of joy to drip
freely when they thought of the past
and what the new “messiah” was
promising.
“Nigeria is wonderfully endowed by
the Almighty with human and other
resources” Obasanjo reminded all.
“ It does no credit either to us or the
entire black race if we fail in managing our resources for quick improvement in the quality of life of our people.
“Instead of progress and development, which we are entitled to expect
from those who governed us, we experienced in the last decade and a
half, particularly in the last regime
but one, persistent deterioration in the

quality of our governance, leading to
instability and the weakening of all
public institutions ”, he said
“Good men were shunned and kept
away from government while those
who should be kept away were drawn
near. Relations between men and women who had been friends for many
decades, and between communities
that had lived together in peace for
many generations became very bitter
because of the actions or inactions of
government.
“The citizens developed distrust in
government, and because promises
made for the improvement of the conditions of the people were not kept,
all statements by government were
met with cynicism”, he pointed out.
“Government officials became progressively indifferent to propriety of
conduct and showed little commitment
to promoting the general welfare of
the people and the public good.
“ Government and all its agencies

igeria spent not less that $16 bil
lion (N2.5 trillion) to improve
on the 3,500 Mw of power that civil
rule inherited from autocratic military
rule. It is doubtful if Nigeria produces Imw above that figure today.
Yes, some roads, boreholes, hospitals
and some schools may have been built,
but on the aggregate that falls extremely far from expectation.
The story of Nigeria in the past 13
years is the story of corruption finding
a cosy, ripe breeding ground. Never
in the history of Nigeria had civil servants, politicians and even men and
women in uniform stolen so brazenly.
With a judicial system that is a caricature of itself, all the billions spent
on creating laws and institutions that
should fight corruption, lay waste.
Since the Nigerian civil war, Nigeria has never been on the brink of collapse and disintegration like now.
After all these earnings, we have won
fewer laurels in sports than for the
same period under military rule.
Our image abroad has gotten worse
as Nigerians make the bulk of thieves
and drug criminals in foreign prisons.
There is hardly anything to cheer in
the past 13 years of our democracy.
It has been the story of looted hopes
by Nigerian leaders at all tiers of government, as Nigeria totters on the brink
of disintegration.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012—11

It’s been turbulent for Nigeria
—Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki Nakande, Former Minister of State, Information
and Communication

I

•Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki Nakande

marred by various malpractices. They
are not just stealing, but they are also
practically upturning the constitution
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria upside down. They are tampering with
local government funds, they are trampling on the rights of even members
of the Houses of Assembly in their
oversight functions.
The issue of corruption must stop. I
pray that the National Assembly will
have the political will to do what is
necessary in amending the constitu-

,

think 13 years of democracy has
been generally turbulent in this
country from 1999 to date. There
are many factors responsible for this.
One, there has not been transparency
in the way and manner we
conduct our elections. Secondly, even
internal democracy within the political parties also has a lot of challenges. Thirdly, there had been a high proliferation of corruption across the board
in all tiers of government since 1999.
The level of corruption is unimaginable and it has changed the entire nation to the point that poverty has now
become very rife. Poverty has brought
up other challenges of violence and
now, terrorism. I think that there is
need for us as elites to really do a rethink on this political situation.
But in spite of this, it does not mean
that democracy itself is not important.
It is important; it is relevant; it is the
best way forward to have good governance in this country. But I believe if
we all put our heads together and think
of a way forward, then we may still be
able to cross the rubicon and deliver
our country. Whatever you see on the
ground now in terms of development
could have been done 10 times better
given the enormous amount of resources this nation has.
One Year of Jonathan’s Administration
I think the Jonathan administration
also started on a very faulty line. I believe the challenges the administration is facing now in terms of this upsurge of violence is a pointer. Although
some
people
will say it didn’t start with the
Jonathan administration but the bottom line is that any government that
is in power at any given time has the
responsibility to ensure that things
are normal and bring sanity into the
polity so that this country can move
f
o
r
w
a
r
d
.
Everyone of us is suffering with the
way and manner the entire crisis has
become a major impediment to delivering the dividends of democracy. I
think he (Jonathan) would have done
much better if he had not allowed
things to get this bad. The government
should embrace dialogue; the government should listen more rather than
just talking.
They keep reacting to issues. When
you keep reacting to situations, your
focus is shifted away from the ball and
once your focus is shifted away from
the ball, you will miss the goal. Government
needs
to do more – stop corruption in the
country so that the country can be better. But beyond Jonathan, I think we
should also be talking about what governors are doing. Governors are practically stealing from the electorate.
Most of them do not have the moral
high ground to be in the offices they
are occupying because all the elections
that we’ve had in this country were

•Ambassador Fidelis Tapgun

know and they should embrace dialogue.

So ffar
ar
ar,, so
good but...

Ambassador Fidelis Tapgun,
Second Civilian Governor of
Plateau State and former Minister of Industries
Well it has been so far, so good. I

I can’t say it has been perfect, but we
are making progress. You know that
after so many years of military rule,
coming back to start practising democracy is like learning all over
again

tion by criminalizing governors who
violate
the
constitution.
We need to look at the independence
of the electoral process at the local
government level so that we can have
an independent arbiter to conduct election so that the electorate can truly
elect
leaders
of
their choice. So it’s not about Jonathan
but also the other tiers of government.
Governors have majority of the people under them but we keep talking
about the Federal Government alone.
We need to beam the searchlight more
on them (governors). Even the crises
that we have here and there; what are
the governors doing in employing dialogue? After all, majority of the people are in their domain, so they should

,

can’t say it has been perfect, but we
are making progress. You know that
after so many years of military rule,
coming back to start practising democracy is like learning all over again.
There were children who were born,
who went to school up to university,
knowing the military only. So we have
in the past 13 years of returning to democracy been struggling. We haven’t
got it right completely, but we have
faith in it and we’ll continue to move.
It has been very difficult, more especially with the federal system we are
operating which is a very complex system. The complexity of the composition of the Nigerian people itself has
added to the difficulties we are facing.
But I think with time, we’ll get over it.

The important thing is that we continue to learn from our mistakes. We’ll
continue to make mistakes but we
must continually learn appropriate
lessons from them and we’ll grow.
The advanced countries that appear
to be getting it right did not get to
where they are overnight. They did not
achieve it in 13 years; it went over several years and even till today, they
haven’t got it all perfect themselves.
So I think the important thing is that
we are focused.
The Nigerian people have agreed
that democracy is best for us and we
are moving along. There are difficulties but with the will, I
think we’ll get to the promised land. I
have been a strong supporter of the
clamour for the devolution of powers
from the federal to the state and local
governments and I still stand by that
belief. I grew up knowing the parliamentary system when the regions were
virtually autonomous.
The powers were in the regions even
though they operated under the same
federation.
But the military came with their command structure and collapsed everything and the states became appendages and you know the difficulties
we’ve been having all these while. The
clamour has been that the powers of
the Federal Government should be
devolved to states and local governments so that they can exercise more
freedom. The Federal Government will
still be there to oversee things that are
like a common wealth, but the basic
things like education, health and even
the police should be devolved to states
so that they can operate at their level
and the Federal Government will be
there supervising.

T

he bi-cameral legislature at the
federal level is a big drain on the
country’s resources. During the last attempt to review the constitution during President Obasanjo’s Administration, some of us had suggested a return to the Parliamentary System because it was easy and it was cheaper.
The expenditure on the National Assembly alone is enough to take care of
a lot of other things in this country. So
I’m still for a return to a single legislature, one parliament where everyone
is a member. You are a member of parliament first before you can become
president or prime minister. So I think
if we do that, it will help.
This issue of the Federal Government
being too powerful , the enormous power at the centre is what is responsible
for the clamour by everybody wanting
to be at the centre. Because that is
where
the
power
is, the control of resource and all that.
Everyone wants to be there at the expense of the population itself. The Parliamentary System provides for robust

Continues on page 12

12— SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012

Continued from page 11

On Jonathan’s
administration

J

onathan has been doing his best
for this country. People sit down
and criticize governance from outside
but they don’t know what is involved.
For instance, people talk about the
Boko Haram problem and say he
should have been more decisive but
there are a lot of intricacies involved.
I think Mr. President is trying his best
and we should give him credit for at
least keeping the country together as
one despite all that have been happening. We should continue to give
him courage to go on with what he is
doing and it is a credit to him that he
has been handling things the way he
is doing.
The administration’s transformation
agenda is also commendable and is on
course. We can see the efforts of the
administration in the power sector, the
transport sector, education and so on.
Power had been a major headache in
this country and a lot is being done to
improve on it. Enormous resources
have been committed to improving the
sector.
The administration is also doing a lot
in the area of education. The establishment of more universities, the Almajiri Education System and so on, are
some of them. So I think (Jonathan)
has
started
well
and
we should support him to do more in
the next years. Yes, people must criticize and I think that is good for democracy, but we should also commend
him when he is doing well. I think he
is handling the country with maturity.

s the country once again celer
a
t
e
s
the enthronement of democracy
in the country, some Nigerians have
x-rayed the journey so far especially
b

•President Jonathan
within the last thirteen years of unbroken democracy in the country. As
some have given accolades to the government both at the federal and state
levels, they have also called for improvement in some areas. Cross River State people have expressed their
opinion on the present democratic
dispensation and pointed out areas
that require urgent attention.
According to the Muri Munene of
the Efut nation and paramount ruler
of Calabar South Local Government
Area, Muri Munene Efiong Mbukpa,
though government at the federal and
states have tried to sustain the democratic principles, the traditional institutions seem to have been left behind.
The natural ruler said, “Well as it concerns the roles of traditional institution
in this democracy, I will say that it has
nothing to write home about because
the constitution itself has not given traditional rulers any role to play. So, one

,

debates and the government in power is put on its toes at all times. It also
cuts down the cost of governance.
INEC under Jega has been improving
a lot and I think we’ll see a marked
difference in forthcoming elections
which is what everybody has been
clamouring for. The other thing is the
organization of the political parties. We
have too many parties in this country.
Even though people say that is democracy but we are still a developing
country and I think some things have
to be enforced like Babangida did
by imposing two political parties. Some
of the existing political parties do not
even have offices and during elections,
they talk anyhow and cause problems. This is unhealthy. I feel there
should be a law prescribing just two
political parties for this country.

•Gov Imoke
very soon. After all ,this is the first
time we are having thirteen years of
unbroken transition from civilian to
civilian government, it clearly shows
that democracy is having its roots in
Nigeria no matter the fault, I think we
are thriving faster than America itself.
“In Cross River State, people are
reaping the dividends of democracy
under the leadership of Governor Liyel
Imoke. The governor has tried so
much. In the area of education, he is
there; roads in the hinterlands, he is
there; rural roads, he is there; water,
he is there; mention it in all the facets
of life, government has tried as much
as possible to allow people reap the
dividends of democracy, “
He however stated that provision of
infrastructure is the basic responsibility of government. “I must remind
us that these are the basic duties of a
government to provide roads, water,

I want government to look at the
human development angle to develop human beings to be able to man
these different aspects of improvement that have gone into the health
sector and educational sector

will say that the traditional institution
has nothing to do with the present democracy as it were in Nigeria.
“However in our different domains,
I think we have tried to make sure that
democracy thrives. That is why there
is love, peace and order and that is
what democracy is all about. Allow the
people have their right, allow people
know their right and allow their right
to prevail.
“Well under His Excellency, President Goodluck Jonathan, the Commander in Chief, I want to say that so
far so good as far as democracy is concerned. If you look at the President’s
body language and his utterances, you
will know that he is a lover of peace
and would like democracy to thrive in
Nigeria.
“I remind us that we are in a learning process, it took America so many
years to arrive at where they are now.
So for Nigeria, we are still in the teething stage, I believe that we will be there

,

health, education. I want government
to look at the human development angle to develop human beings to be
able to man these different aspects of
improvement that have gone into the
health sector and educational sector.
“We even have teachers in the classrooms who are computer illiterates,
government should try to make sure
that human development is part of our
priority. It was the priority of the government of the late Chief Obafemi
Awolowo, that is how he developed
the west, that is why you have professors more than any where in the country coming from the west because of
human development. Human development should be an aspect that democracy should try to improve upon. If
we don’t have human development
,we continue to invite the Chinese or
Americans to go to the space on our
own behalf.”
The monarch also urged the federal
government to take the issue of pow-

er more seriously. “When there is no
power or electricity, everything goes
down because to run a generator costs
much. Industries now run generator
and it will definitely increase the cost
of production, but if we have a steady
power which the federal government
is trying to do but it is not meeting the
targets set by itself, the economy will
improve.”
For Bishop Tunde Adeleye of the Diocese of Calabar, Anglican Communion, “our democracy has been battling
and struggling with lots of hindrances
and challenges. According to him, practitioners of democracy seem not to be
learning much on its principles as they
continue to make the same mistakes
every time.”
The Man of God also said that those
elected under the principle of democracy are not having the interest and
desire of the populace in mind as they
seem not to be addressing the needs
of the people particularly in the areas
of health, education, housing, et cetera.
He commended the present National Assembly which he said seems to be
working hard, and have through their
oversight functions reduced corruption,
but noted that they are facing the
challenges of truthfulness and battling
with the powers that be in their oversight function.
Bishop Adeleye said that election in
the country has improved but the country is still grapping with the challenges of inadequacies, cheating and allegation of rigging, adding that, “There
are people whose moral status are
questionable, who are holding positions in this country. There are people whose marital status we don’t
know, we don’t know how their children are and we don’t know if their
children are drunkards. All these are
not put into consideration, rather we
are interested in party loyalty.”
He noted that the nation’s democracy is still facing the challenge of ineptitude in areas of sufficient research and
execution in the socio-economy and
political situation. He also pointed out
the challenge of insecurity, adding that,
“People don’t sleep with their two eyes
closed. Churches are being attacked.
Boko Haram is a monster pursuing everybody in this country.”
He said that all the political parties
in the country lack ideology and
called for a change of attitude. He also
advised the security agencies in the
country to save the innocent citizens
from the enemies, be proactive and
try to prevent an attack before it is
unleashed on people and not only to
wait for an attack to be carried out
before they can react.
Also commenting on the nation’s
brand of democracy, a legal practitioner and human right activist in the
state, Chief Utum Eteng said that the
country is making progress slowly and
steadily and that the country needs to
improve on some few aspects of democracy.
“Democracy is all about transparent
election, free and fair election and the
right for the citizens to exercise their
franchise without threat, fears and or
intimidation. Under the President
Goodluck Jonathan administration,
progress is being made and the target

Continues on page 13

SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012—13

Continued from page 12
is high except for the organized sabotage, whereby people want to put their
fellow Nigerians in the disadvantage
of fear and insecurity. It is unfortunate that some section wants Nigerians to explode for untenable reasons
but Jonathan is a lucky man in that he
took time to appoint an experienced
National Security Adviser in the person of General Andrew Azazi.
“By this I mean, Nigerians would
have exploded and our democracy
would have come to a halt but for the
ability of the NSA to hold the situation. We pray Nigerians should give
peace a chance for the democracy to
thrive no matter the errors. Democracy is far better than military rule,”
he said.

—Alhaji Yerima Shettima,
President, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum

H

onestly, the last one year, I think
the government has not done
enough. But then, I will also put it this
way that at the inception of this government after the election. There was
really nothing anybody could have expected in the midst of the recent happenings of insecurity.
There is no where in the world you
will expect that if you have instability,
lack of proper security networking on
ground, you now expect that government will do anything positively in order to bring in developmental issue.
One would have expected that nothing would have happened because it
is a serious problem.
The last one year has been critical
and more of challenging to Nigerians.
I think it is more of a moment for the
nation to reflect and begin to chart
positive thinking about Nigeria. It is a
moment of sober reflection now…
Gradually, you know, insecurity is a
problem that has been there for many
years, so we do not expect that any
miracle could have come overnight
and resolve the problem of insecurity
because certain injustices have been
meted in several parts of the country
and we have come a long way also in
our own activism. For over 10 years,
we have been clamoring for a Sovereign National Conference, SNC, because certain injustices have been
meted on people, Nigerians as a whole.
So we expect that something drastic
would have happened. Having said
that, really we expect that sovereign
national conference will hold to take
Nigerians to the next level, otherwise,
any other effort we are doing now
means pushing the dooms day ahead,
because we are still going to have more
troubles in our hands.

The govt has not
done well in tackling corruption and
security challenges

—Chekwas Okorie, ex National Chairman, All Pro-

gressive Grand Alliance,
APGA.
Nigeria has not done very well in the
area of security. The economy is on a
very sound footing. The theme of Minister of Finance and Central Bank Governor and so on, seem to be working.
The energy sector is also picking up.
I think the greatest challenge facing
the government is this corruption that
is so endemic and then insecurity that
has taken everybody back. If the government can be more proactive in the
area of fighting corruption and provide
security, I think it will be good. But I
believe that the Minister of Finance is
doing what nobody has done in the
past in the area of insisting on budget

,

Lives are
not safe

•Alhaji Yerima
Shettima

•Chekwas
Okorie

Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal as
Speaker of the seventh House of Representatives and Hon. Emeka Ihedioha as Deputy Speaker, and that election was devoid of partisanship and
characteristic tribalism in Nigeria. We
came out in one voice and they took
up the responsibility of leadership in
the House and today, any watcher of
events in the House of Representatives
will join us in thanking God that we
have real Nigerians, nationalistic and
patriotic in the leadership of the
House. For the first time in the seventh assembly, we insisted and all the
agencies of government brought their
budget except the CBN. Before now, it
never happened. They now brought
their budgets for appropriation. In the

This is his first year in office, I believe
that things are picking up and he will
have a good score sheet by the time he
completes his term. But this first year
is year in which much of the foundation has been laid

implementation.
This is her first year in office, I believe that things are picking up and she
will have a good score sheet by the
time she completes her term. But this
first year is a year in which much of
foundation has been laid. And I am
satisfied with the foundation though
not many people will agree that things
are improving but a critical mind
would agree that certain areas have
improved including the ones I just
mentioned.

The House of Reps
has done well

,

case of the CBN, you are aware that
both the Senate and house of Reps
have commenced processes of the CBN
Act to ensure that the CBN governor
does not become a lord to himself and
that the governing council of the CBN
does not become sovereignty. Everybody must operate according to the
provision of the constitution. If you
are an agent of government, your
funds must be appropriated by the national assembly. What that
institution earns and what it spends
every year must be known. That is
what we have achieved.

—Uzo Azubuike, Chairman,
House Committee on Public
Petition, House of Reps
— Tolagbe Animashaun

A

t the commencement of the
House, the seventh House of
Representatives decided to choose its
leadership so that we can take responsibility for our actions and inactions,
then against the practice of imposition
of leadership. We voluntarily elected

C

hief Muritala Tolagbe Ani
mashaun is a notable Peoples
Democratic Party chieftain in Lagos
and he contested last election as PDP’s
senatorial candidate for Lagos Central Senatorial District. He says:
As far as I am concerned, we have

achieved quite a lot. For one, no one would
have believed it possible in the history of
this nation that people could come together to vote a minority as the President of
this country. This is a sign that democracy is working. For the first time in
our history, we are practising the politics of inclusion where anybody, whether from the majority or the minority can
aspire to the highest office in the land.
Only democracy could have made that
possible. Secondly, for once in this
country, we have our own people in key
positions of the economy, running its
wheel of development. I am talking
about the likes of Dangote, Adenuga,
Isiyaku Rabiu and Jimoh Ibrahim of
this country. I don’t so much believe in
the idea that only foreigners can develop this country. I believe if we create
the enabling environment and empower our people, we can take this country
to any height of our dream. No one can
lift our nation better than ourselves.
Thirdly, in the areas of development
and entrepreneurship, now, we have
many Nigerians owning their businesses. We are still not there yet but there is
a lot of improvement. We are a very
proud people and more than ever , we
are looking inward. Look at the petroleum sector, we have what they called
the ‘local content’ initiative where our
people are controlling the larger stake
in the industry. All these have been
brought about by successive governments under democratic dispensation,
especially under President Goodluck
Jonathan. Now he is trying to do the
same with Power Holding Company of
Nigeria and all spheres of the Nigerian
economy. It is going to take us sometime but definitely, we are moving towards the promised land. Our democracy has yielded quite a lot of dividends.
I will score this government low in
the area of including the other areas of the country in governance, especially the Southwest region. Probably
because the South-south people have
never been in government before, they
are kind of excluding the other areas.
They should remember that the southsouth was not developed by south-south
people alone. The area was developed
by the resources of entire Nigeria. So
the government should practise the politics of inclusion not the politics of exclusion. They should also remember
that resources within the confines of the
country belong to all Nigerians regardless of where such resources are found.
Like I told you, the government should
practise the politics of inclusion where
every geopolitical zone of the country
is squarely involved in the governance
of the country. The business of running
this country should be a collective re-

sponsibility of everybody regardless
of tribes or religions. We must all
join hands together to make sure
the President succeeds. To sustain
this growing democracy, we should
shun partisan politics and be nationalistic in seeing to it that Nigeria works. Remember, if you are
pulling down Jonathan, you are
pulling down yourself. He remains
the President until 2015 and if he
desires to contest again, it is his
right . The only option available is
to contest against him and we can
have free and fair election. I am very
optimistic that the democracy of this
nation will be sustained no matter
how hard some people try to pull
this country down.
C
M
Y
K

14—SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012

Appraisal of the Fourth Republic

Our Fourth Republic democracy is a
complete failure in the sense that the
very first threshold of what constitute democracy has failed. That’s free,
fair and credible election. Since the
inception of the Fourth Republic, we
have not had any election that can be
described as free, fair and credible.
What we have had are very bad elections, extremely fraudulent and completely overwhelmed by rigging.
Though, some elections were not as
bad as the others, but all bad is the
degree of vice that they contained.
For example, the worst elections we
have ever had is the 2007 elections.
Everybody knows that. The 2011 elections is an improvement on the 2007.
But event that one it is still a long way
off from what can be described as
credible. So that’s the beginning.
Also, if one take a look of the practice of democracy itself, one would see
that there is a lot of immaturity in the
behaviour of the political actors. If you
look at the politicians at the National
Assembly, they behave like little children who have seen ice-cream and
lolly-pop. They voted fo themselves
high income and remuneration, the
highest amount of money ever received
at any legislature in the whole world.
They were so immersed in seeing
money that they forgot that is Nigeria’s money, not legislature’s money.
So, we have a senator earning about
1.7 million dollars a year. When by
contrast, his American counter part
is earning just over two hundred thousand dollars a year. The President of
America earns just four hundred
thousand dollars a year. So, one can
see not just the ironies but how ridiculous it is.
The orientation is very childish and
infantile self interest. The politicians
are there to promote their material

The Fourth Republic has
failed, says Sagay
Structure of political parties

Professor
Itse Sagay

,

S

ince the enthronement of the
Fourth Republic about thirteen
years ago, Nigeria’s catalogue
of woes appeared to have reached unfinished symphony. Her people
groaned under the yoke of repressive
s u c c e s s i v e
government,unemployment, dearth of
social amenities abysmal demonstration of travesty of justice. Recent revelations from the different probe panels
raised by both the upper and lower
legislative chambers speak volume of
the unbridled corruption that pervades
the entire spectrum of governance.
‘The National Assembly is full of
rogues and armed robbers,” former
President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo
declared during the week. But President Goodluck Jonathan made futile
attempt to absolve his administration
from the near decadence the nation is
experiencing when he stated that Nigeria’s problems were not caused by
his regime. For Nigerians, democracy has brought them untold hardship
and created a state of hopeless despair. Chief Obasanjo puts it better
when he asked rhetorically in a conference held during the week in Lagos. “Is there hope for Nigeria?
However, renowned Constitutional
Lawyer, Professor Itse Sagay, in an
interview with Charles Adingupu declared out-rightly that the Fourth Republic has collapsed.

The teeming population of this country
which currently stands
at well over one hundred and fifty million
are earning less than a
dollar per day. The fact
that a senator earns 1.7
million dollar, those in
that one hundred million bracket are earning
three hundred and sixty-five dollars

,

interest without any consideration for
the country. The teeming population
of this country which currently
stands at well over one hundred and
fifty million are earning less than a
dollar per day. The fact that a senator
earns 1.7 million dollar, those in that
one hundred million bracket are earning three hundred and sixty-five dollars. Therefore, one can see the magnitude of the impunity and criminal
misconduct that is involved.

A

t the executive level, it’s all the
same thing. We have heard a lot
of scandals although not as overt as
that of the National Assembly. The list
is endless. However, few of them included, pension scam, petrol subsidy, the recent one, the Nigerian Security and Exchange Commission (SEC)

and so on. The country is overwhelmed by corruption. Democracy
has brought nothing but misery to everybody. It was quite unfortunate
that for one year, fellow Nigerians
collected a whooping sum of 1.17 trillion naira from the federal government when they did not supply any
petrol. That was the decree of decay
and degeneration that 13 years of democracy has brought to us, Nigerians.

T

hough, they might be one or two
things to celebrate. But if one
looks at the general atmosphere, the
roads are all bad. With the three successive democratic adminstration, the
power situation got worse. Despite the
huge amount of money budgeted for
power, the situation remains static.
Since Professor Barth Nnaji became
the Minister, the power situation has
deteriorated to an incredible level inspite of all the noise he’s making. The
roads are the same, schools, universities, hospitals are all in bad state. The
National Hospital in Abuja which is
supposed to be the best in the country today, I understand is in no way
any better than a morgue. If you have
any serious illness, you dare not go
there for treatment otherwise, you
won’t come back alive.
Today, every Nigerian is now going
to India for treatment of one ailment
or the other. The Indians capitalised
on our foolishness to establish a huge
laboratory in Oshodi, Lagos in order
to make things easy for us. Also, South
Africa has established a similar laboratory in Lagos. Somehow, our government is incapable of establishing
anything that is enduring and beneficial to Nigerians. I’m afraid, there is
nothing positive about Nigeria’s thirteenth years of democracy. For me, it
is thirteen wasted years. The wrong
people have been in power and it will
continue to be so as long as the wrong
people continue to remain in power.

The political parties are too many.
They are over sixty. This has weakened the political opposition and has
prevented them from presenting a
credible challenge to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which is
just an conglomeration of people who
want to share power and resources
without any ideology. The opposition
is not mobilised. They are scattered
all over the places. Most of them operate in one parlour office, just waiting for the usual financial support
from the government to share. That
is all they do. They are not organised.
In my view, with the state of our political orientation in the various zones
of the country, it is possible for some
of the major opposition parties to establish a formidable alliance with the
intention of winning power and introducing real transformation in the Nigeria system. The opposition can do it
if they plan properly. It is all about allowing each party to present credible
candidates in areas where they are
strong and work together. It is very
important that Nigeria has a breath of
fresh air which can only come if the
PDP is defeated at the federal and state
levels.
The other issue dragging this country back is lack of federalism. With the
current structure of the country, virtually all the powers are concentrated in
Abuja. All the resources of the nation
are also domiciled in Abuja. The result is that the federal government is
handicap. It has too much to do and
failed to apply the resources of the
country intelligently and beneficially.
It si obvious the federal government
is already lost in confusion over what
to do with so much power and resources. But if these resources are transferred to the federating units, the states
will be stronger politically and financially and then become an engineer of
development. We have thirty six actors all applying resources wisely. In
ten years, this country will be unrecognisable.

Is the problem with the people
or the system?

T

he system is part of the problem.
It is true that more may lead to
temptation. But that is the problem of
the wrong people in power. Former
President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo
said recently that virtually every House
legislature at various levels are being
controlled by thieves and armed robbers.
And he should know better because
he has ruled this country for more
years than any other person. I’m waiting for people in power to challenge
him. If we did not improve the quality of those in power, even the federalism would not make any appreiable

Continues on page 46

VANGUARD, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012 â&#x20AC;&#x201D;15

Chief Edwin Clark's 85th birthday celebration in pix.

By Gbenga Olamikan

The former Attorney-General of the federation, Abdulahi Ibrahim SAN,
congratulating Chief Edwin Clark during his 85th birthday celebration in
Abuja.

Chief Edwin Clark, celebrant, addressing pressmen shortly after the Church
service, while Chairman House Committee on Health, Hon Ndudi Elumelu
(left), Minister of Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe (2 left); and others look on
during his 85th birthday celebration in Abuja.

Members of Esther of Izon, presenting a birthday card to the
celebrant

Enyi Barrister Giwa-Amu congratulating the celebrant at the occasion in Abuja.

here were the” extras”
which kept them away
from the allocation coming
from? Well, it turned out that
the money was actually meant
for the research that would lead
to the eradication of malaria.
But there was a very powerful
lobby set against any success in
that area, and it seemed it had
been able to prevent any
headway by simply turning the
attention of those concerned in
other directions. At first it
sounded so weird, but it sent me
wondering why indeed there
had been very little impact
made by way of a vaccine, or
drug, or any significant,
systematic undertaking aimed
at eradicating malaria from
Nigeria.
I published an article about it
in this very newspaper at that

,

n 1999, I stumbled on
some information about
the Ministry of Health
which somewhat astonished me
with regard to the campaign
against malaria. The sum of
money allocated for the fight
against the disease was stated
in one column and in column
where the expenditure was to
have been stated was blank.
This was quite startling. It
would have been rather normal
if a sizeable amount or all the
allocation had been expended,
even without anything to show
for it. But that such a provision
had been made and totally
ignored was, to say the least,
“un-Nigerian”, if you will
pardon the coinage.
I was a bit more sprightly in
those days than now, and so
launched out on an enquiry as
to why nothing had happened
to the money, nothing at all. It
hadn’t even been stolen, or
“misappropriated”, if you like.
It had simply been ignored—or
could it simply have been
overlooked?
My enquires slowly revealed
a reason that made me reel with
laughter. The allocation had not
been touched because it was
not particularly needed. Those
who might have taken control
of it did not seem to be
interested because they were
being adequately serviced in
other ways. They might not
have been particularly honest,
but their philosophy of service
was definitely not imbued with
the spirit of greed as the
“operators” of the civil service
have proved to be, especially
in very recent times.

*immortality waits

•Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu
Health Minister
the same drug was sold
under different names—or
brands. The whole thing
had the faint odour of a
double exposure. The
drugs were declared
obsolete after a while, but
the manufacturing of
antimalarial drugs went
on from strength to
strength. Anytime the
drugs appeared to be
getting less effective, a
new brand would be
launched with all the
marketing strategy you
could imagine. They were
identifiable some twenty
years ago from the “-

,

The scandal of the stolen pension
funds may be more open, but it all
comes to the same thing in the end

time. I decried the fact that the
business of anti-malarial drugs
was confined to the production
of remedial medicines that did
not really seek to cure the
patient but relieved the
symptoms and pain caused by
the disease over a period. It
would indeed appear that they
were all similar in chemical
content since most of them
were of the a common origin.
Several of them were, in fact,
unabashedly the same, so that

,

inine” suffix of the names
... you know, quinine,
livaquine, quinacrine etc.
A lot of Nigerians, who
escaped an early death,
were left to nurse
themselves on all sorts of
pills into their graves. But
the pharmaceutical firms
grew fatter and fatter.
They were diverting the
attention
of
the
researchers away from
serious work by luring

them
from
fruitful
endeavours, so much so that
the money provided for the
work was not even noticed.
But now, it would appear that
a lot of money has been
coming in officially, but is
still being utilized to
discover nothing of any
particular benefit in the
eradication of malaria. This
time,
all
that
the
pharmaceutical companies
have to do is blandly offer
more tablets with new
names.

A

sound solution should
have been found to the
problem all these years, with
all the scientists that we
boast of. Even if they are not
capable by themselves of
ridding this country of the
scourge of malaria, they can
learn from other parts of the
world where the evil of
mosquitoes has been totally
suppressed. The argument
that these disease-bearing
insects are found in
mangrove swamps, which
abound in parts of Nigeria,
no longer holds in the face of
the situation in a place like
Brazil where mangrove
swamps also flourish, but
where the lethal spread of
malaria has been all but
overcome. In fact, it was
announced a few years ago
that a vaccine had been
discovered against the
disease there. We do not

seem to have taken any
advantage of that facility. It
is also known that the
Chinese do have a very good
remedy
which the
Americans chased around
before
they
discovered it on the
shores of the Potomac
in Washington, DC.
That fact was also
published here years
ago, but what has been
the follow-up from the
Ministry of Health and
its
tribe
of
researchers? There
was some heavy
breathing in one of our
n u m e r o u s ,
perennially striking,
universities sometime
ago, when some
excitement
was
created
about
a
“discovery”,
or
“breakthrough” in the
fight against malaria.
But, like our public
inquiries, it seems to
have flared brightly,
noisily, and gone to
sleep. What we are left
with are new slogans
and new designs in
mosquito nets—and a
smear of Chinese
medication.
But all this campaign
about new types of
drugs and mosquito
nets really gives me a
pain.

M

osquito nets as a
deterrent against
malarial infection are as old
as the hills. It is an
ineffective
method,
cumbersome to install and
impracticable to maintain.
The campaign itself is thus
wasteful and only provides
further avenues for another
chapter of the unending
scam in the management of
public funds. Those who are
in charge, as well as we who
only watch and turn away
our eyes, know that it is no
more than a charade that is
played out at the cost of
human lives. The scandal of
the stolen pension funds may
be more open, but it all
comes to the same thing in
the end— human suffering
increases as bank deposits
boom.
On the other hand, the
problem of polio is almost
solved even if, with
Afghanistan and Pakistan,
Nigeria is reckoned to be
among the few countries
where the disease is still
considered endemic. The
campaign here has been very
successful though it still has
to continue apace. But in the
case of polio, as it is well
known, a vaccine has been
found to combat and destroy
the virus. All that has to be
done is to apply it orally. It
wasn’t discovered here, but
has been very useful to the

A sound
solution should
have been
found to the
problem all
these years,
with all the
scientists that
we boast of

,

health of the young ones as it
becomes more and more
accepted and popular.
However, we should not wait
for some other scientist to
discover the vaccine against
malaria for us.
I am confident that
Nigerian scientists will find a
way, a scientific and
efficacious means, of
combating malaria and
defeating it if they strive to.
We have the brainpower in
this country. A sincere and
serious research into the
leaves and roots we brew to
produce the effective herbal
potions which have served
us for years on end, is sure to
put a halt to this killer disease
in no time at all, if only we
would put our acts together.

O

ne of the “experts” who
are so good at telling us
how devastating malaria has
been to the well-being of so
many people, without
proffering any realistic
measure of how to quell the
rapacity of this killerdisease, recently dared to
call the herbal alternatives to
the myriads of the pills and
capsules we are saddled
with, “concoctions” . As it
is usual with his type, he
offered nothing as to how
they could be improved. It
is enough that he condemns
it. I have forgotten his name.
It shall not be remembered.
But
any
physician,
pharmaceutical researcher,
or scientist who can at last
provide a lasting and
effective remedy to the
scourge of malaria in this
country, will never be
forgotten. He will have his
name indelibly engraved on
our hearts for ever.
Immortality waits.

Echoes: I like your piece
on “monkeys and baboons.
“ But consider the Nigerians
who live in the Northern
part of the country, who also
feel that General Buhari is
also threatening them to
either support him or be
prepared for another round
of mob attack. ALL OF
THESE POLITICIANS ARE
FIGHTING TO CONTROL THE
RESOURCES
AT
THE
CENTRE. Let us make the
Centre unattractive so as to
reduce the tension. (Abdul
Gunu - 08155555336)
Then the monkeys and the
baboons will all be one!
Time out.

18 — SATURDAY VANGUARD, MAY 26, 2012
Dear Julie,
I am a girl of 17 and I met
my dad’s friend’s son last year
and fell in love with him. He
asked for my number when we
first met and we started
talking and also went out on
few dates after which we
kissed on the last date. He’s a
20year old medical student in
Port Hacourt and he rarely
comes home. Therefore, I get
to see him once in two or three
months. I have serious plans
to travel abroad next year to
continue my studies. After I attachment before I travel so
told him about my plans, he I won’t leave him for another
suggested we have sex as a guy.Though I accepted, I later
medium of an emotional disagreed because I am still a

Can she be trusted?

I love him so much

I can’t get over him
Dear Aunty Julie,
I’m 21yrs old and I have
dated this guy for close to
three years now and he has
been cheating on me. Each
time I complained, he’d tell
me to be patient with him
because he was dating the girl
before he met me and he made
me believe I meant the whole
world to him. Things got worst
when he relocated to another
state. He stopped calling me
or even coming to visit me. I
only get to see him once in 34months and I’m the one who
always goes to see him. The
last time I visited, I saw a
message on his phone, “my
love, thanks for the things
you bought for me, I love
them and I love you too” and
he always complains to me
that he does not have money.
When I confronted him about
it, he told me that he can’t just
stay alone, that he needed
someone who will be washing
his clothes and cook for him.
I asked why he is hurting me
and he told me that maybe,
my happiness lies somewhere
else, that I should do
whatever I know can make me
happy;
that
he
will
understand. I left and I
stopped calling him. It’s over
a month now and he has not
bothered calling me.I just
cannot get over him. I still
love him. What should I do?
Joy, Delta
Dear Joy,
It’s a pity you’re having this
trial and this is what it is,
especially if you continue to
stay. You can stay and hope

eventually that one day he will
stop. I won’t say he will stop
and can’t say he will not ever
stop. But if he knows he will
always have you, then he will
give up nothing. In other
words, he’s cheated and been
caught and you stayed. He
knows you love him and he
could very well love you and
so, why should he stop? His
actions have not caused you
to stray from him; so he’s not
losing anything. You asked
why he’s hurting you and he
gave you options. You left and
he didn’t call. My advice is;

don’t call him either. Start
getting him to respect you first.
At the least, he will work on his
cheating, only if he feels there
is something in jeopardy. You
have to be willing to leave even
if you end up not doing so. By
willing to leave, you have to
desire something else. Don’t let
him hurt you anymore. You
have to follow your heart but
really, I don’t see this
relationship leading you to
anywhere.

virgin and he’s aware of it. I
feel bad because he hasn’t
really been treating me the
same way he used to before he
made the request and he also
sleeps with some of his female
friends. I love him too much
and it’s bugging me, what
should I do?
Angel, Onitsha
Dear Angel,
If you are not ready and he
doesn’t understand that and is
not willing to wait, then the
only one pressuring you is
you. Let him go. It’s a big
decision when you finally
decide to have sex for the first
time. Someone that loves you
should respect your choice
and be willing to wait for you.
Don’t worry about what he’s
doing to other girlfriends. The
only thing that should matter
is how you feel and whatever
you decide is okay. If the guy
loves you, let him wait for
you. Changing his attitude
because of your refusal to
have sex should be the more
reason why you should avoid
him. It shows he has no
respect for your feelings and
if he is sleeping around with
other girls, then avoid him
because it is not even safe for
you to have sex with him
because of his multiple sex
partners. You have to avoid
sexually transmitted diseases.

Whom should I listen to?
Dear Aunty Julie,
I am in a relationship with a
man who is older than I with
about twenty years. He has a
son who is about fifteen years
old from a previous
relationship and he is
currently living at his family’s
compound in the same street
where I live with my
mother. Of recent, he

proposed marriage and when
I told my mother, she said it’s
okay that the age difference
does not matter. But when I
told my pastor he said
otherwise; that I should quit
the relationship because his
son, his son’s mother and
members of his family would
not let me be. I really love this
man but should I listen to my

Dear Aunty Julie,
I have this girl I have been
dating for the past six years
now and I intend to marry her.
But I have found out that she
frequently lies to me. On
January Ist, we renewed our
vow for love but less than
eight hours, she visited a man
whom she said was a
seminarian. When I called
her, she lied and said she was
in the market. I was in bed
with her one day when the
same man called her by 3am
and when I confonted her on
why he should call her at that
odd hour, she said he was just
wishing her well.Not long ago,
one guy I have been
suspecting she was dating
called her while I was with her
and she said the person that
called was the brother, only
for me to find out that she
saved the guy’s number with
a fake name and it was the
same
boy
that
truly
called.The other time, she lied
to me about the money in her
account, yet I was the person
who gave her money to open
the account and I have not left
her empty without money. In
fact, I make sure she is very
comfortable.When she gets
text messages, she quickly
deletes them so that I do not
see them. We both agreed that
she should not wear trousers
and she told me she will never
put on one since I do not like
them. But the other day, I
paid her a surprise visit in her
school only to find her in a
pair of trousers.She has
offended me so much to the
extent that she said I should
give her one last chance but
the last chance has turned out
to be five chances, yet, she
doesn’t seem to change.Dear
Aunty Julie, do you think she

can she be trusted? I am tired.
I intend to end this
relationship and move
forward.
Deji, Lagos

mother or my pastor? Please I
really need your help.
Ojiyovwi Edevwie

difference. If you feel that you
want to end it because you’re
worried about the future then
that’s not love.
So, age really depends on
the people involved and how
mature they act. It would be
different if you were 16 or 17
but you are not. As long as you
are happy, that is all that
should matter to people. Some
people don’t like any age
difference but if it matters to
you, then think about it again.

Dear Ojiyovwi,
If you really love him and
know he is the right one for
you, then it shouldn’t be such
an issue for you. So what if he
is 20years older? As long as
the inside of the guy doesn’t
change and he is not married
to another woman, don’t end
it because of the age

Dear Deji,

If she lies to you a few more
times , that means she’s trying to
hide something. If she changes
the way she acts around you, then
that means something is going
on. Ask her if there is something
wrong. If she changes the way she
acts around you after she lied to
you then watch out! Trust is vital
in a relationship. You have to trust
her. She has to trust you.
Otherwise, you’ll be going crazy
thinking what she might be
doing, who she really is talking
to.
It’s hard to trust some people
especially those that have lied
to you and cheated on you. But
you can always talk it out and try
to make it work. If she truly loves
you and wants to be with you, tell
her how you feel, what you think,
and that it hurts you that she is
‘talking’ to other guys. I put
talking in quotations because
you don’t know who she is
talking to.
If she cannot be open and
honest with you about who and
what guys she is talking to, then
she isn’t worth the trouble. Why
are you going to be with a girl
who is doing that to you when you
are young enough to find
somebody else who can treat and
respect you better than that? If
she isn’t doing anything wrong
then, why is she hiding from you?
If she can’t be open with you, then
she isn’t worth it. Really, she has
given you every reason to
question her integrity. If you can’t
cope, spare yourself the stress. In
my opinion, the seminarian is her
boyfriend too. Is it really that
unclear?

C O C K - TA L E S

A great doctor’s visit
A forty-ish woman was at home happily jumping
on her bed and squealing with delight. Her
husband watches her for a while and asks “Do
you have any idea how ridiculous you look?
What’s the matter with you?”
The woman continues to bounce on the bed and
says, “I don’t care. I just came from the doctor
and he says I have the breasts of an 18-year-old.”
The husband said, “What did he say about your
41-year-old ass?”
“Your name never came up,” she replied.
Taking no chances
George went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem with his
family, including his mother-in-law. While there,
the mother-in-law died. With the death certificate
in his hand, George went to the American Consulate
Office to make arrangements to send the body back

to the United States for proper burial.
The Consul advised George that to ship the body back
to the United States for burial could be very, very
expensive. It could cost him as much as $5,000.00 or
more.
The Consul told him, in most cases, the person
responsible for the remains normally decides to bury
the body here in Jerusalem. This would only cost him
$150.00.
George thinks for a moment and his response was: “I
don’t care how much it will cost to send the body back!
That’s what I want to do.”
The Consul says “You must love your mother-in-law
very much considering what it will cost you.”
“No, it’s not that,” says George. “You see, I heard of
someone who was buried here in Jerusalem many, many
years ago. On the third day he rose from being dead! I
just can’t take that chance!”

Wedding Ring
Soon after marriage, a lady’s husband stopped wearing
his wedding ring.
She asked, “Why don’t you ever wear your wedding
band?”
He replied, “It cuts off my circulation.”
She answered back, “ That’s what it’s supposed to
do”
White wedding dress
A fresh-faced lad on the eve of his wedding night
goes to his mother with the following question.
“Mom, why are wedding dresses white?”
The mother looks at her son and replies, “Son, this
shows the town that your bride is pure.”
The son thanks his mom and goes off to double-check
this with his father. “Dad why are wedding dresses
white?”
The father looks at his son in surprise and says,

SATURDAY

F

rom time to time,
readers
of
this
column have texted to
find out if some stories are
‘really true’. Riyike’s story is
a stranger-than- fiction type
which sent me, a selfconfessed seen-it-all, reeling
with indignation at how
stupid some people would
stoop to keep a love they seem
obsessed with. According to
Riyike, when she met Ben five
years ago, he was on the
rebound. His girlfriend of
three years suddenly threw
him over for a man she
confessed she was in love
with. “It was obvious that Ben
was still hurting from the
humiliation of rejection,” said
Riyike. “I had gone to the
accounting firm he worked
with for my one-year
attachment programme from
the polytechnic I attended
and he was more or less my
direct boss. He was happy to
show me the ropes and we
went to the office canteen
together often.

Vanguard MAY 26, 2012—19

Drawing the line between
love and obsession

H

“

Inevitably, we started a
relationship and he confessed
he was over with Kadijat, his
ex. I eventually moved in with
him against my mother’s wish.

to speak with Ben in private.
Later, Ben came to tell me
she wanted somewhere to
stay for a while as she’d just
been kicked out by her Mr.

,

e talked a lot about
his ex, how much he
loved her, how much time and
money he’d lavished on her;
and how she had no guts to
tell him about her new find
until someone sent him a text
anonymously, that she was
virtually sleeping in his
house!” Armed with an
address from the text, he laid
siege at the man’s house and
it didn’t take time for both of
them to walk in together. She
didn’t come out all the four
hours he waited for her to do
so. When she visited the next
day and he confronted her,
she was really angry that he’d
been ‘spying’ on her. Now
that he’d found out, what did
he intend to do? Beat her up?
Have her arrested? She then
flounced off in a huff. He tried
to win her back, but she said
she was happy with her new
love.
“When you see someone
long enough, they sort of
grow on you and it didn’t take
time for both of us to become
an item. We went to parties
together and visited each
other once in a while.

What on earth did he think he was
doing? Yet I let him carry on instead
of kicking him out of the bed

,

My dad passed away a few
years ago, otherwise I
wouldn’t have dared spend
the night with any man, let
alone move in with him.
Then, out of the blues, Kadijat
came back. She just walked in
one evening, gave me a
casual glance and demanded

Wonderful. He’d told her I
was now living with him, but
that she could sleep on the
couch until she found her
feet. I was livid. I wanted to
pack my bag there and then,
but I loved Ben and if I left,
Kadijat would move in. So, I
shrugged after my protests

fell on deaf ears. She moved in
and treated me as the odd one
out.
“A couple of days later,
Kadijat complained of being
disturbed by rats and
mosquitoes in the living room
—and Ben suggested, she
could sleep with us in the bed!
I was really stunned. In my
head I knew it wasn’t a good
idea, but I would do, anything
to keep Ben away from Kadijat,
so I agreed, Ben slept on the
outside of the bed with me in
the middle, his arm around me.
One night, as if in a trance, I
realised Ben’s hand had
reached furtively towards
Kadijat’s face and he was
actually stroking her cheek!
What on earth did he think he
was doing? Yet I let him carry
on instead of kicking him out

of the bed. I could have left
too. But I had read about this
sort of thing in some smutty
books and magazines and had
discussed it with friends. But
to think I would ever find
myself involved in a three-ina-bed-romp! What would my
mum think of this type of
behaviour? The next morning,
I felt so ashamed, but Ben was
happier than I’d ever seen
him —he was actually
humming and whistling. He’d
obviously had too much of a
good thing. ‘How are you?’,
he wanted to know. But I told
him I wasn’t myself. ‘Let’s
give what happened last night
a try,’ he begged. That way,
we can all stay together.’ The
mild threat was in his words—
take it or leave. So I stayed.
“We soon got into the routine
of the three of us sleeping
together but I gradually
realised I was the odd one out.
Most evenings, Ben and
Kadijat would sit on the couch;
sipping stout. I never touched
alcohol, so I would sit in a chair
until Ben would urge me to
have an early night if I felt like
it. They would continue
boozing, laughing and
whispering long into the night
and of course having it off on
the couch. It then dawned on
me that if I had any shred of
dignity left, I would have to
leave.

T

hank goodness my
one-year attachment
was over. I packed everything
I had and moved back to the
campus. Ben begged me to
leave a few things, but I told
him I could always visit with
whatever I’d needed but never
went back to that sinful flat.
He begged and pleaded for
me to come back, even
promised to kick out Kadijat.
But the respect I had for him
had gone. You can’t love
anyone, and bring home an ex
who once humiliated you, for
regular romps on the same
bed. I couldn’t tell anyone how
low I sank when I didn’t even
realise the madness that came
over me. One thing I’m sure
of is that I’ll never sink that
low again.”
“

How mobile phones could be dangerous to children’s health
xperts had warned that
children should be
banned from using mobile
phones immediately to stop
them suffering brain tumours.
US scientist Lloyd. Morgan
said cases of brain cancer
could rise 25 fold in the future
and predict there would not
be enough trained surgeons
to help victims. “I predict a
Tsunami of brain tumours,”
he said, “I don’t think we will
see the beginning of it for 10
or may be 15 years, but, once
it explodes, it could be
devastating. We could see
anything between an increase
of four times and 25 times.
And unless we train more
neuron surgeons now, a great
many people will not be able

to have surgery”.
Mr. Morgan, of America’s
Environmental Health Trust
pressure group, said safety
measures needed to be put
in place immediately.
According to him; “Mobiles
are like cars—they are not
safe, although they can be

,

E

Manufacturers should
make them hands free only
so you cannot hold one to
your ear. Children should
not be allowed to use them
at all. There’s a lot of
evidence that they are more
affected by radiation. The
surgeon
made
his

Manufacturers should make them
hands free only so you cannot hold
one to your ear. Children should not
be allowed to use them at all

made safe enough. If you
hold a mobile just six inches
from your head, the
radiation is 10,000 times
smaller .

,

controversial comments after
presenting a paper warning
that a landmark study into
mobile phone use released a
few months ago had got its

result wrong. The interpose
study, which brought together
scientists from 13 countries
under the World Health
Organisation, found no
significant link between shortterm mobile use and cancer,
and a slight link in the long
term. And confusingly it found
in some cases, mobiles
DECREASED the risk of
tumours. But he said the
results that were analysed
mean the true risks were
ignored and claimed they were
actually 25 per cent higher
than the report said. Under his
analysis, presented to a
conference a few months ago
in Seoul, South Korea, the risk
of the most common brain
tumour, a glioma, doubles if

you use a mobile just once a
week for 10 years.

C

ancer Research UK has
described
Mr.
Morgan’s analysis as ‘over
blown’ and said there was no
evidence brain tumour rates
had risen since the use of
mobiles
had
become
widespread. However, his
comments come as Britain
starts a 30 year project to
monitor the health of 1
00,000
mobile
users.
Scientists will try to find links
between mobile use and a
house range of health
problems,
including
tumours.

20—SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012

,

SMS (ONLY)

Make sure you’re confiding in
someone you know you can
trust. Confiding in a male friend
about your spouse’s affair could
complicate the situation

,

How to deal with
cheating and lying
spouses
Y

our husband is cheating and
your wife is lying or both.
You’re not sure what to do.
Before wrestling with that
decision, let’s focus first on
what you shouldn’t do. Most
people react blindly when they
find out their significant other
is having an affair. They let
fear, anger, hurt, or a desire for
revenge compel them to do
things they later regret — things
which make it difficult or
impossible to implement any
worthwhile infidelity advice
they may later receive.
hat your husband is
c h e a t i n g
is not enough reason to leave
him.
There
are
other
considerations. That your wife
lies through her teeth is also not
enough reason to abuse or
leave her.
Don’t put him/her out or
leave him/her yet. Instead of
your first move, putting your
spouse out or leaving him/her
should be your last resort. You
may eventually decide to do
this but for now, it’s the worst
thing you can do. Right now,
you need to keep a close eye
on what’s going on. As long as
you’re still together, you can
keep your finger on the pulse
of his/her affair and gather
some much-needed facts.
Don’t tell the whole world
about your partner's infidelity/
lying. It’s natural to want to
confide in somebody about
your spouse’s affair, or rally
friends and family to your side.
But be very cautious about who
you tell. The female friend you
confide in could turn out to be
the “other woman.” Make sure
you’re confiding in someone
you know you can trust.
Confiding in a male friend
about your spouse’s affair
could complicate the situation.
There are men out there who
take advantage of women when
they’re in a vulnerable state.
Telling your husband’s friends
or family may not produce the
results you want. They might
not take you seriously, or they
may lie, make excuses for him,
take his side, or warn him to
cover his tracks. Confiding in
your own family and friends
can eventually come back to
haunt you. Exercise caution in
who you tell about your
spouse’s affair.
Don’t ignore his/her affair or
pretend it’s not happening.
Going into denial will only
make matters worse. As
traumatic as it is to find out that
your husband/wife has been
cheating, you need to face the
reality of the situation.
Ignoring his/her infidelity
gives him/her the go-ahead to
continue . Pretending it’s not
happening will make him think
he’s getting away with his
cheating, or give him the
impression that he has your

T

silent approval. At some
point, you should inform
your spouse that you know
about his/her affair and
make it clear that you want
it to stop. The sooner you
confront him/her about
this cheating, the better. The
longer you wait to bring it
up and express your
disapproval, the more
attached he/she will
become to the other
woman/man.
Most experts agree that
you should confront your
spouse about his/her
cheating. But you need to
have a plan. Choose the time
and place carefully so you
can discuss the affair at
length without interruption.
Do not ask your spouse if s/
he’s cheating. Cheaters
always lie.
Don’t waste your time and
energy on the other
woman/man. One of the
worst things you can do is
become obsessed with the
other person in your spouse's

ues: I’m not usually the
Q
clingy type but recently
, I found myself needing a

lot of re-assurance from my
guy. We have been together
a year and a half before I
moved to Abuja to be with
him. I’m always looking for
reassurance that he loves
me. I’m thinking this stems
from the fact that I come
from a broken home. I grew
up seeing my mum a lonely
woman and my greatest fear
is seeing what happened to
my mum happen to me.
Eventually, she remarried

*Ike Oluwa, 40, employed,
Christian, dark, needs a
woman
for
marital
relationship. She must be
beautiful and educated,
employed and within the
age-range of 21-35 on
07057539172.
*Taofeeq, 31, from Lagos,
needs a Muslim lady of 2427 for a serious relationship
on 08052355875.
*Olu, 45, civil servant,
from the South-West,

life. It’s natural for you to be
curious about her, but she’s not
worth your time and energy.
Repeatedly questioning your
spouse about her, referring to
her or dragging her name into
the conversation puts the
spotlight on her instead of on
the real issues where it belongs.
Don’t obsess over the details of
what happened between the

two them. Concentrate on
working things out between
the two of you. Do not
humiliate
or
frustrate
yourself by calling or
confronting the other woman
and demanding that she
leaves your husband alone.
She’s not obligated to take
orders from you. Harassing
her or threatening her will put

you on the wrong side of the law.
Name-calling, criticizing or
belittling her will only make
your husband come to her
defense. You’ll be driving them
closer together instead of forcing
them apart .Forget about the
other woman and focus your
energy and efforts on getting
your relationship back on track.

Ans: You are probably
right that being abandoned by
your dad and seeing your
mum as a lonely woman have
left an emotional hole that is
hard to fill. In addition,
you’ve uprooted yourself and

moved to a new place to be
with your guy. You probably
haven’t yet made other
friends so you are more
dependent on him. I guess
that scares you. Your
experience of people who
love you is that they leave.
You may be scared that he
will leave too, so you cling.
Ironically,
clinging
generally makes people
want to go away which is
what you fear most.
What you should do with
yourself is to get busy. It’s
unfair and destructive to
turn your love relationship
into a clingy affair because
of your neediness. Getting
busy will help you resolve
your grief and anger about
being left by your parents. It
can also help you truly
understand that it wasn’t

because you were unlovable
that they left.
I also encourage you to find
your own group of friends so
you can spread your needs for
affirmation and contact
around. Join an organization.
Socialise more. Make friends in
the Church you belong to. If
that’s not to your liking,
volunteer to do some
community service. Join a
club where there are people
who share your interests. Get
a job and invite people you
meet there and like to get
together after work. Yes. I
know that finding a way to
belong in a new place is hard
but it won’t get any easier if
you stick to your guy like a
burr. And your man will
rightfully feel concerned about
you and annoyed that he can’t
do enough.

Christian, needs a lady of 2345 who is a Christian and
disciplined
on
07055913484.
*Patrick, 38, based in
Abuja, wants to meet an

employed and God-fearing
lady of 28-36 for marriage on
08164422058.
*Lucky, from Delta, desires
a Godly lady from Delta, aged
25-28 on 08189967961.
*Dele, 28, employed, from
Kwara, based in Benin, needs
a caring graduate lady of 22-

28 who lives in Benin on
08038222923.
*Ay, male, resident in Abuja,
adult, wants a lady of 20-25 on
08073402682.
*Kings, male, needs a
beautiful
lady
who
understands what love is all
about for marriage on
07057373593.

and my whole
world
came
apart. I felt
abandoned by
both parents.
It’s wrong to lay
all that on my
guy but I feel
crazy I can’t help always
needing affection and being
told I’m loved. It’s become a
problem for us because he’s
expressed that he feels he will
never be able to do enough for
me. What do I do with myself?
Irene, Abuja

Do you have reactions to our stories or have you any experience you want
to share with our readers? Please e-mail,anyagafu2@gmail.com
Do you want to be linked?
Neither Chioma Gabriel nor Saturday Vanguard has any relationship with anybody wanting to be
linked. We have no agents anywhere and charge no fees. We have no personal information of people
who have been linked or want to be linked and therefore, are not answerable for disappointments or
embarrassments some people may encounter in the process.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012—21

T

he Bible is a great
book… Even if you
still
have
it
backwards and don’t believe
the “Jesus” story it’s a
compendium of healthy
living. In gives insight into all
kinds of issues and the simple
instructions therein if
followed; provides a certain
‘balance’ to everything in life.

Recognising swine

,

Take this scripture for
instance, Romans 12 vs. 13:
“… ‘Do not think more highly
of yourself than you ought to
think, but with sober
discernment’. Nice. That tells
me that though I know I am
wonderfully made and
therefore should hold myself
in high esteem, I must not get
carried away… humility. Then
there are several instructions
on how to treat one’s
neighbour and how to be a
good
Samaritan,
the
importance of forgiveness and
turning the other cheek; but
then Matthew chapter 7 vs. 6
says: do not give what is holy
to dogs or throw your pearls
before pigs; otherwise they

advantage because it all
seemed so easy and they
forget that you it was who
granted access in the first
place, I really don’t get it.
Shouldn’t courtesy attract
same?

Why must I be badly behaved
and loud to be treated
‘right’?I’ve seen it happen time
and time again and it baffles me

will trample them under their
feet and turn around and tear
you to pieces. Ah, wisdom!

T

hat is the key…
recognising swine. While
it is good, nay imperative that
we are good, and giving
towards one another, if one
could learn to recognize swine

,

upon encounter, you would
know not to cast your pearls
– time, energy, emotions,
money, talent, brain power,
information name it –before
them. It takes a while
especially if your default
mode is to be charitable and
kind but after being ‘trampled
and torn apart’ several times

you begin to learn.
ou encounter them
everywhere, in any kind
of situation. People who take
you for granted, who have
very little regard for your
time or feelings, who mistake
your humility for stupidity
and generally carry on like
they think you are a fool. Why
can’t one be down to earth,
soft spoken, polite and still get
respect? Why must I be badly
behaved and loud to be
treated ‘right’?I’ve seen it
happen time and time again
and it baffles me. You meet
someone, based on whatever
you give them access and
then they just begin to take

Y

T

hen again one cannot be
said to have grown in
one’s spiritual journey if you
can only extend grace to the
people who are ‘nice’.
Personally, I have simplified
the process. Everybody gets
a shot. If I am approached and
the person half makes sense,
I see the potential and it’s not
diametrically opposed to my
beliefs and principles; I will
lend myself to you. I will give
of my time, my talent, my
energy,
whatever
the
situation requires. Once that
person begins to show traits
of a pig, no resentment, no
fight, so there’s really nothing
to forgive; I simply bend
down and pick up my pearls
where I have cast them…one
by one.

Belly contraction — NAULI

I

was once in a bookshop where I
muscles of the belly known as the rectus
picked up a book on Yoga. In it was a
picture of the author illustrating Nauli - muscles are isolated and made to move in
an abdominal exercise in which the central a circular notion of both ways. Though,
this appeared to be a difficult exercise, the
writer had mentioned that it could be
mastered on one’s own without a teacher.
All it took was dilligent practice.
It immediately occurred to me hat this
writer of Yoga was very right.
I had taught myself this exercise back in
1962. It was the very first Yoga exercise I
ever did. Eight years later when ! was 22 I
met my Yoga teacher.
I came to appreciate the body more and
more as a too which could be bettered by
sensible exercise and
changes in diet. Every Yoga
book read drove home the
tremendous importance in
helping the body rid itself
more efficiently of waste
products. There were
exercises to aerate the
lungs and increase their
capacity; others had to do
with cleansing the stomach,
while others helped in
achieving thorough bowel
movement.
Of all the various ways and
means of bringing about
better elimination, Nauli is
top on the list. It is said to
be India’s gift to the world.
It is the final word in
stomach-care, if you ask
me. Thirty-seven years
after, first started its
practice, I’m still at it and
much, much the better for
it. Nauli must be the “backbone” of my fairly good
health.
Besides myself
demonstrating the Nauli,
there’s also this other
illustration to make the
Abdomal Retraction (1)
reader know that this is an

exercise that
can be
attempted by
both sexes
provided there
isn’t a medical
problem to
consider.
NAULI
Technique:
Stand with the
feet slightly
apart and
place the
hands on the
thighs. Bend
the trunk a
little forward.

Now take in a deep breath
and exhale forcefully and
fully as you push on the
thighs and draw upwards
the diaphragm. Quickly,
without inhaling, contract
the centra! band of
muscles of the
belly and push it
outwards giving
the appearance of
a ridge down the
centre of the belly.
Now draw the
muscles in and out
for several times.

igeria’s multiple award
winning
hip-hop
sensation, Peter and
Paul Okoye popularly known
as P- Square have added
another feather to their cap as
they are now proud owners of
a private jet.
According to our source, the
twins recently coughed out
several millions of dollars to
pick the private airbus from one
of the Arabian countries. And
with their latest acquisition,
Peter and Paul are now the
biggest boys in the Nigerian
music industry.
One of their tweets on
Thursday evening gave the
duo out about their new

acquisition.
“Jetting privately....thanks to
God and the fans. You all made
it possible. God has settled
us...Just included on our
list...that
very
list......shhhhhh.”
Peter
tweeted Thursday night.
Showtime gathered that as
at the time Peter tweeted
about their new ‘baby’, the
duo were on a trip to South
Africa.
With landed properties in
Jos, Port Harcourt and their
newly built Lagos mansion
worth N400 million, it’s no
doubt that the dynamic duo are
in the millionaires club.
Among their automobile
acquisitions are two Sequioa
Sports Utility Vans (SUVs),
one hummer SUV, truck bus
and a Toyota Altima.

Goge Africa’s
Moses, Nneka
step out with
baby boy

Kanye West turns producer, premieres
movie at Cannes film festival

A

merican rapper Kanye West
premiered his seven-screen
movie experience “Cruel
Summer ” at the Cannes Film
Festival last Wednesday night .He
was accompanied to the premiere
by his new TV personality
girlfriend Kim Kardashian.
The singer and his girlfriend sat
together front and center in a
temporary theater near the Palm
Beach in Cannes to view West’s
debut film, a project shot on
multiple cameras and projected
across multiple screens.
The 30-minute film, which
featured other label acts including
Big Sean, Mr Hudson, Pusha T, Kid
Cudi, Teyana Taylor, Prince Cy and
D’banj was shot in Qatar, Middle
East, few months ago. It was
inspired by West’s upcoming
G.O.O.D. Music compilation of the
same name.
In this first showing of the film,
screens were spread on the theater’s
ground, ceiling and across the sides.
Members of cast of the film were in
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian at the “Cruel attendance along with the rapper JayZ.“This is a dream come true,” West
Summer” premiere.
said as he introduced the film to the
audience.

He said it took him a “crazy” three
months to produce the short film .
“It’s actually kind of surreal seeing
the film come to fruition right here,”
he added.
Kardashian was one of the first to
stand and give her boyfriend a
standing ovation at the end of the halfhour movie experience.
A clearly touched West said of the
project: “I can dream that this will be the
way that one day people will watch movies.
I want to change what entertainment
experiences are like,” he said.
“It relates to a post Steve Jobs, post
Windows era,” Kanye said of the multiscreen experience which required
keeping track of several images at the
same time. “Like you’re always looking
at a Blackberry when you’re at a ballgame
or the theater. It’s about the amount of
information we get all at once.”It’s all like
a painting,” he added.
Kardashian, wearing a gold-beaded
mini-dress with her hair slicked back,
and West entered the theater hand-inhand. At a party held at a nearby beach
after the premiere, the two hobnobbed
with guests arm-in-arm and even shared
a drink out of the same plastic straw.

BY OPEOLUWANI
AKINTAYO

F

ollowing the birth of
their bundle of joy in
February, this year
after fourteen years of
marriage, Moses and Nneka
Isaac, have finally stepped out
with their baby boy.
The couple, who have been
in the forefront of promoting
African cultures and values
were spotted recently where
they posed with their adorable
baby boy, Isaac Kamara
Moses.
It would be recalled that
Nneka Moses who are copresenters of the popular
culture based TV programme
“Goge Africa” with her
husband, Isaac, in February
gave birth to a baby boy. The
baby is the couple’s first child
since their marriage in 1998.
Immediately after welcoming
the child, Isaac Moses took to
his facebook wall where he
broke the news to the world,
and gave thanks to God for the
safe delivery of his child: ‘All
honour and glory to God; my
wife has delivered a beautiful
baby boy. And just looking at
him, I realize he is worth the
long wait’’, he posted.

Music, dance, as Mike Okonkwo
celebrates with Children

C

hristians resident in
Festac area of
Lagos,are bound to
witness a life-changing
impartation
come
tomorrow, as the presiding
Bishop of The Redeemed
Evangelical
Mission
(TREM),
Dr
Mike
Okonkwo storm the town
for a programme tagged
“God
will
Restore
Everything.’
According to the host,
Rev. Iyke Osuji, a special

prophetic blessings by the
bishop will be released on
children during the
programme
to
commemorate this year ’s
Children’s
Day
celebration that willcause
them to be a voice in their
generation. “ The bishop
will lay hands on the
children during the
programme... speak over
their lives so that they will
be a blessing to their
generation.”Rev. Osuji

highlighted.
The event will also
witness songs, dances and
dramas put together by
the children.
Speaking ahead of the
event, the host pastor
said the programme
which holds at TREM
auditorium, Festac town,
promises to be a total
transformation
and
restoration to all those
that
will
be
in
attendance.

Mike Okonkwo

Moses and Nneka with
their baby

22— Vanguard, SARTURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Edited by
Ogbonna Amadi
amadi_o@yahoo.com

D’banj wears a ‘f**k you
Don Jazzy’ T-shirt
BY OPEOLUWANI
AKINTAYO

F

ollowing the sudden
split between the
Kokomaster and his
long time friend, Don Jazzy,
the details of their messy war
of words have been all over
the place and is getting messier with each passing day.
This has caused worry
among friends and fans of the
duo, whose concern has been
what next after the separation.
And since the news of their
disagreement first hit the air,
different people have stepped
in to try put an end to the ugly
incident, all to no avail.
First, Don Jazzy came up
with his version of his story,
blaming D’banj for his
uncontrollable ego since the
Kokomaster
gained
international reputation, fame
and money, especially with the
signing of the Kanye West’s
deal.

Then D’banj also granted an
interview far away in the UK,
where he told Kunle Ayeni his
experience with Don Jazzy.
He claimed the ace producer
has shortchanged him.
As if the plans have already
been concluded, D’banj
immediately relocated to the
UK, got himself signed on to
another record label, Mercury
Records. Then, he also
emerged as the head of the
newly formed Def Jam Africa.
Def Jam Africa is the African
arm of Island Def Jam which
is under parent company
Universal Music Group, home
to some of the biggest
superstars on the planet.
Recent investigation also
revealed that D’banj has just
signed on Dami Duro crooner,
Davido to this new record
label. As a matter of fact, both
D’banj and Davido have
started recording.
Shortly after D’banj started
making waves in the UK with

his Oliver Twist single, Don
Jazzy also debuted with Mavin records which houses the
likes of Wande Coal, D’Prince,
Dr.Sid, Tiwa Savage and Don
Jazzy himself.
But the new twist to the
whole gist is that D’banj was
recently sighted at the Murtala
International Airport, where
he wore a T-shirt with “f**k
you Don Jazzy” boldly written
on it.
At first, the rumour was ignored as a result of lack of
pictorial evidence. But those
in the know claimed that they
saw D’banj wearing the same
T-shirt on the same day.
After their split, D’banj went
on his Twitter wall, and
tweeted a congratulatory
message to Jazzy on his new
record label, Mavin. And in a
succession, Jazzy also
tweeted, enjoining people to
give their support to D’ban’j
Oliver Twist which at that time
was preparing for debut in the
UK.

Project Fame returns,
...as auditions hold in Ghana

S
D’banj

Terry G out with
See Groove
BY OPEOLUWANI
AKINTAYO

F

or those of his fans
who are wondering
where the Akpako
master has been all this while,
worry no more, as he’s now
out with a new single titled,
See Groove.
Unlike the regular Terry’s
style of hot and fast beats, he
goes with a more hip-hop
thing, a move capable of
sending his fans asking for
more.
As the title suggests, See
Groove opens with a grooving
beat accompanied with the
sound of a jingled bell.
Terry then comes in with his
C
M
Y
K

usual
‘ razz’slangy lines while
a
background
voice repeats the
‘nah nah nah’
rhyme.
“...baby girl show
me that you’re
beautiful...who get
this big y*sh...oya
baby wyn am
o...oya ka lo tunle
se...baby show me
ur ginger style”, it
goes on and on.
In all, it’s a club
banger , produced
by the Terry ’s
House of Ginger.

MASH hit TV
s i n g i n g
competition,
Project Fame West Africa
returns with season 5.
As usual, a lot of excitement has been generated
among aspiring musicians in Ghana, Nigeria,
Sierra Leone and Liberia.
The audition train arrives
Ghana today.
The auditions which will
hold at the Musicians
Union of Ghana, (MUSIGA) office in Accra, seeks
to discover raw talented

Terry G

musical hopefuls who
are groomed for success
in an intense Academy.
The contestants will
receive the very best
professional training
from voice and movement to performance
and song writing.
More than just a talent
competition, Project
Fame allows viewers a
unique opportunity to
follow day by day, the
behind the scenes
progress of the contestants in their quest for
fame. The contestants
will also be given the
opportunity to meet and
perform alongside their
favorite stars who will
conduct
exclusive
master-classes, sharing their wisdom and
tips for success.
The finalists, according to a statement by the organisers, will be expected to live in
t h e Pr o j e c t Fa m e
Academy for a period of 10 weeks.
As usual, public
voting by SMS determines
which
contestants
are
eliminated on a
weekly basis, with

the lucky winner walking away with cash
prize, a car and a recording contract.
The reality show has
successfully launched
the musical careers of
Iyanya, Mike, Chidinma and the most recent
winner, Monica.

Chidinma

SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012—25

Lagos preacher heals bedridden Nollywood actor
B

Pastor Fireman healing actor , Enebeli

edridden Nollywood actor,
Enebeli Elebuwa was full
of “praises and thanks” to
Almighty God during the
week as he has received his
healing, courtesy of a Lagos
based controversial preacher,
Dr Sign Fireman.
The actor was struck by
stroke late last year. Since
then,
his health has
continued to deteriorate on
each passing day. He was
reportedly bedridden for
months before he finally
received healing from the
firebrand pastor.
Fireman who came into
prominence through the
showbiz personalities that
attend his church located in
Surulere,was said to have
been moved by the status of
the ailing actor.
He instructed his family to
relocate him to the church
where he eventually healed

him of the life-threatening
ailment.
A video posted on Youtube
showed the high flying pastor
taking steps with the actor,
who looked physically drained
and weak, after the healing.
Fireman could be heard
asking Enebeli to walk and
take “one step at a time … in
the name of Jesus,” which, in
the midst of clapping and
shouting by the congregation,
he strenuously adhered to, as
he received his healing.
Fireman happens to be one
of the influential men of God
who rules the Christian
community in the country. His
extravagance lifestyle was
brought to questioning by
CAN recently. "Jesus Christ
was never a poor man. He had
an accountant following him
around” he was quoted as
saying.

he wedding bell is still
ringing. After the likes of
Stephanie Okereke, Chidi
Mokeme, Uche Jombo, and
2Face Idibia walked down the
aisle in a quick succession, it
is the turn of Patience
Ozokwo’s
son,
Nduka
Morrison Ozokwo and Funke
Akindele to follow suit.
The former ’s wedding to his
fiancée holds today, in the
eastern part of the country,
while the latter’s own comes
up also today at All seasons
Plaza, Ikeja, Lagos.
Nduka’s traditional marriage
ceremony was held yesterday,
the white wedding is slated for
today amidst pomp and
pageantry.
Patience Ozokwo a.k.a
Mama Gee reportedly spent
most of her time on Wednesday
tweeting at family members,
friends and colleagues in
preparation for the
big day. Her
tweet read; “I
can’t wait.
The time is
here and
yet seems
f a r. Yo u r

prayers is the best wedding
gift.”
Meanwhile, HVP gathered
that Funke’s Islamic wedding
rite (Nikkai) to her socialite
and politician fiancé Kenny
Almaroof was observed on
Thursday, at her Ikeja
residence. The event was said
to have been attended by few
family members and close
friends.
Sources close to the actress
said Funke’s wedding will
gulp over N25 million. For
instance, Funke is said to have
hired the All Seasons Plaza
venue for N2 million, while
the musicians billed to perform
at the ceremony are to smile
home with the huge sum of
N8 million. Already, the
Astoria caterers is said to
have pocketed N10 million
while the company that will
supply the drinks has been
paid N3 million.

N

ollywood bad
girl,Tonto Dikeh,
who is known to
be a heavy smoker has
finally dumped the habit.
The
26-year-old
controversial
actress
announced
this,
on
Monday, via micro blogging website Twitter.
She tweeted “I have [a]
good news for those who
wish
me
well.
hehehehheheehehehe, it’s
a silly good news but you
all [are] going to love this.
I QUIT SMOKING.
Puppyface.”
Just last year, Tonto was
in a bitter war with fellow
actor, Van Vicker when she
puffed cigarette at him. The
Ghanaian actor was said to

Sam Dede

have cautioned the
actress to cut down
on her smoking
habit.
Before
now,
Tonto’s alleged
heavy smoking
habit has been a
thing of concern to
some of her fans as
well as friends.
Tonto emerged in
the Nigerian movie
industry
after
placing second in
the 2005 edition of
Next Movie Star
reality show. She
landed her first
Tonto
movie in 2006 the actress has not looked back. Today
drama ‘Tea and she is one of the most-sought-after
Coffee.’Since then, controversial actresses in Nollywood.

‘I 'll not dump acting for politics’
Sam Dede was appointed
the new Director-General of
opular Nollywood actor
in a few months from now,
Rivers State Tourism
P
and university lecturer,
people will witness a
Development Agency early
Sam Dede who was recently
transformation in the sector".
appointed as the DirectorGeneral of the Rivers State
Tourism
Development
Agency has described the
appointment as ''a surprise."
He has also dismissed
rumour in some quarters
that he would dump acting
for politics.
Speaking for the first time
since his new appointment
with HVP, in Abuja, recently,
Sam Dede said he has a
challenge to bring the
tourism potentials of Rivers
State to the limelight.
He lamented that before
his appointment, nothing
much was happening in the
state’s tourism sector. The
veteran actor disclosed that “

He further disclosed that
there are plans to make this
year ’s Rivers State annual
carnival tagged CARVIRIN
“an experience of a lifetime.”
Hear him: “I don’t intend to
become
a
politician
someday. I wasn’t expecting
my appointment as the
Director-General of Rivers
State Tourism Development
Agency. It is a challenge to
Nollywood practitioners and
I intend to take it head-on.
“On the state of tourism in
Rivers State, it is virtually not
in existence compared to a
place like Calabar. We need to do
a lot of campaign to get people to
be aware of the tourism
potentials in Rivers State.”

this year.

C
M
Y
K

24—SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012

Susan Peters steps out
with Look Book
A

ward winning actress,
Susan Peters will be
one year older soon,
and to celebrate the special
day, she is coming out with
her Look Book- a collection of
all her fabulous red-carpet
moments, capturing the
elegance, sophistication, taste
and style of the actress.
Susan has paraded the redcarpet dressed in many
exclusive designer wears and
luxurious accessories. Her
appearance is classy, posh
and special. This year alone,
City People Magazine voted
her the most stylish Actress
in Nigeria.
The look book, according to
the Benue State born actress,
is to inspire young women on
how best to fit into a desired
appearance and how to rock
their body and assets.
The look book will be
followed by an auction- a
once-in-a-lifetime event
where Susan’s beautiful redcarpet dresses would be
auctioned at reduced prices
for her fans and the general
public. It’ll be a first of its kind
in the Nigerian entertainment
industry.
Susan will be known to have
set a pace as a fashion
inspiration in the country, and
even beyond. Her fabulous
wardrobe of red-carpet
memorabilia will be auctioned
next week. The proceeds
from the auctioning, HVP
learnt will be donated to
charity.
Recently, the actress set up
a foundation for children in

NEXIM Bank sells
Nollywood at Cannes
film festival
T
Susan Peters

the part of the country
where her heart lives –
Benue state. Her “Benue
Pikin” Initiative is a nong o v e r n m e n t
organisationcharged with
the
humanitarian
responsibility of meeting the

immediate needs of children
in that region. It provides
support for children and
adults alike who are suffering
from asthma and diabetes.
Such help include the
provision of necessary
medical attention, emotional
and financial support.

9ice debuts in Nollywood

N

igerian singer Abolore
Adegbola Akande, aka
9ice, is gradually considering
acting as a second career. He
has accepted to play a lead
role in Laide Bakare‘s new
flick ‘Jejere‘ (Tumour).
According to Bakare, ‘the
film, which is produced by Sim

9ice
C
M
Y
K

Line International, is about an
African hero that saved his
environment‘.
In the film, which was shot
in three weeks, 9ice plays a
husband and father.
On the role he played in the
movie, 9ice said ‘I played
Dele, who had a bad
experience in his first
marriage following the
sudden demise of his wife. He
was left alone to cater for his
little daughter.
The ‘Gongo Aso’ singer said
the challenges were quite
different when compared to
what he experienced in the
music industry. ‘I learnt a
whole lot; most importantly
the cast on set becomes a
unified entity after several
days on set together .’
‘Being the first time on set,
I have to act, cry when nothing
is actually wrong with me,
laugh when nothing is really
funny. I also have to depict this
character in the presence of
others. It is a privilege to be
part of ‘Jejere’ and I look
forward to the premiere‘ he
said.

Asked if he has any intention to go
into acting, 9ice replied in the
affirmative, ‘if the pay is right with
good content and the standard is on
point, why not?’
Other actors in the movie include
Emeka Ike, Oby Alex O, Fathia
Balogun, Akin Lewis, Ebun Oloyede,
and Bakare herself.

he Nigerian Export-Import
Bank is partnering the
Nigerian Film Corporation in
a co-sponsoring arrangement
at the on-going 65th edition of
Cannes International Film
Festival, in France.
The NEXIM team is at the
festival to seek co-financing/coproduction opportunities in
support of the Nigerian motion
picture industry.
At a special session held on
Wednesday, in conjunction
with the Federal Inland
Revenue Service (FIRS) and
the NFC, the bank enjoined
exhibitors to explore areas of
synergies between producers
and film makers. It was also an
avenue to showcase the
abundant opportunities in the
Nigerian movie industry.
Highlights of the Bank’s
participation include a paper
presentation led by Mr. Awami
Mohammed, the Bank’s
Assistant Manager, Credit
Insurance and Guarantee
Department, issues on Cofinancing/Co-production
opportunities for the Nigerian
Motion Picture Industry was
exhaustively discussed. The
festival provides a platform for
the Bank to interact with
International
Financial
Institutions
and
fund
arrangers as it regards Film
Finance.
The
Nigerian
Film
Corporation, has since 2007,
secured a pavilion at the
Marche du film (Film Market)
of the festival to provide a

Big Brother Housemates, Ola
and Chris bac
backk in the countr
countryy
they were willing to leave, the
igeria’s representatives at
N
the on-going Big Brother reason being that Ola who
Stargame reality show, Chris suffers from High blood
and Ola have returned to the
country after voluntarily
asking to leave the show.
The duo arrived the
Muritala
Muhammed
International Airport, Ikeja,
Lagos from South Africa on
Tuesday afternoon.
Chris and Ola shocked
millions of viewers on May 18,
2012 when they disclosed to
Biggie in the Diary Room that

pressure issues was
advised by his
doctors to seek help
outside the house.
In accordance with
the game rules
governing
the
DownVille house,
where contestants
play as partners,
Chris has also left
the series.

home for Nigerian Industry
practitioners and stakeholders
to showcase their works.
Thus, to enrich Nigeria’s
participation at this year ’s
edition of the prestigious film
festival, hence its partnership
with the Nigerian Export
Import Bank (NEXIM) and
the Federal Inland Revenue
Service (FIRS) on Cofinancing, Co-production
opportunities,
and
appropriate Tax Regime/
Incentives for the Nigerian
filmmakers.
Mohammed
who
represented the Managing
Director of the Bank, Mr.
Roberts Orya explained that
NEXIM is a wholly
government-owned financial
institution with the broad
mandate that include the
provision of Credit Facilities
in both local and foreign
currencies; Export Credit
Guarantee & Export Credit
Insurance;
Business
Development and Financial
Advisory Services; as well as
Trade
and
Market
Information.
He emphasized that
NEXIM’s activities in support
of the movie industry is such
that the bank considers the
creative
arts
and
entertainment industry as a
very important sector with
sustainable growth and
foreign exchange potentials
that would generate, sustain
employment as well as create
wealth and continuous pool of
talents.

Whilst M-Net and Endemol
are deeply saddened to see
these two very entertaining
housemates leave the game,,
they remain committed to
ensuring the health and safety
of the contestants and
therefore understand and
respect the housemates’
decision.

26 — SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012

26, 2012—27
SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26
an aphrodisiac and does
not increase sexual
desire.
• Levitra. Taken 10
minutes to one hour
prior to sexual activity,
Levitra
can
be
effective for up to 12
hours. Levitra is not
an aphrodisiac. It does
not increase sexual
desire.
• Uprima.
This
medication is a pill
taken under the
tongue.
Uprima
dissolves within about
15 minutes and is
effective for up to two
hours. Uprima will not
work without sexual
stimulation.

When your body feels low:
A man’s problem

Because erections involve
multiple systems, there are
often multiple causes of
impotence, even for one man.
Causes of impotence are often
broken down into different
categories. These include:

What to do when
impotent
If you are experiencing
difficulty with erections, the
first step should be to speak
with a doctor. Erectile
difficulties may be an early
warning sign of other
potentially serious health
problems — your body’s way
of telling you that something
else is going on. It’s important
to understand what might be
causing the changes in your
erections.
In addition to seeing a
physician, you may want to
consider speaking with a
therapist or counselor, and
perhaps a sex therapist. Sex
therapists specialize in the
diagnosis and treatment of
sexual dysfunctions. If you see
a sex therapist, you’ll also
need to get a medical exam,
but a therapist will likely have
more information than your
regular doctor about the
details of sexual dysfunction.
One of the most difficult
aspects of erectile difficulties
is the way that our thoughts
and feelings can perpetuate
our difficulties. We all have the
right to use language we want

It is estimated that up to 90% of the
cause of erectile problems have a
psychological cause. This can
range from relationships
difficulties, performance anxiety or
deeper more complex causes

,

to describe ourselves. But you
may want to consider how
describing this problem as
impotence, or calling yourself
impotent, is actually working
against your goal of feeling
positive about yourself and
your ability to both give and
receive sexual pleasure.

What should we call
impotence?

The term impotence is already
in the process of disappearing
from medical literature
(although it’s a slow process).
Impotence is a problem in part
because of the way it makes
men feel, and also the message
it explicitly sends about sexual
power being only about
erections. Impotence is also a
problem because it isn’t
precise. This might be fine for
literature, but if you’re trying
to isolate and solve a health
problem, the more precise you
can be, the better. So
impotence should be called
whatever it actually is. If it’s
erectile dysfunction, call it
that.
Impotence is a very common
problem. Remember one in ten
men have a problem achieving
and or sustaining an erection
at some point in their lives.

mpotence refers in general
to a man’s inability to
perfor m sexually, and
specifically to his inability to
get an erection. Of course,
impotence has many other
meanings,
including
powerlessness, helplessness,
weakness, etc... The inaccurate
idea that if a man can’t get an
erection, he has no sexual
power, is what makes
impotence such a dangerous
but also popular term. It’s a
word that strikes fear in the
hearts of those who are worried
it might happen to them, and
causes pain when it’s directed
at someone as an insult.
Impotence isn’t an accurate
term because the truth is that
men have sex all the time with
and without erections, and a
man’s sexuality or power isn’t
related to just one part of his
body. When we confuse ability
to get erections with ability to
give and receive sexual
pleasure, we make worse a
complicated and common
sexual complaint — an
inability to get an erection that
is satisfactory for sexual
pleasure.
In order to understand why
erections don’t work, you need
to understand the basics of
how erections work. Getting an
erection involves multiple
parts of your body, including
your brain, nerves, hormones,
muscles, and heart. Anything
that interrupts this any of these
systems may result in what
gets called impotence.

In order to understand why
erections don’t work, you need to
understand the basics of how
erections work. Getting an erection
involves multiple parts of your body,
including your brain, nerves,
hormones, muscles, and heart

,

The important thing is if you
have a problem that does not
seem to be improving, you get
help.
There have been big
advances in the treatments for
impotence.

Psychosexual therapy

It is estimated that up to 90%
of the cause of erectile
problems have a psychological
cause. This can range from
relationships difficulties,
performance anxiety or deeper
more complex causes. An
experienced counselor or
therapist can help. They look
at and work through these
difficulties with you offering
possible solutions.

Medication treatments
for impotence

Viagra is one of the best
known medications for erectile
dysfunction. You need to be
sexually stimulated for viagra
to be effective. Viagra works
within an hour and usually
lasts for three to four hours.
• Transurethral therapy
(Muse). A small pellet of
a medication is put
directly into the urethra.
The urethra is the tube
that runs through the
penis and carries urine
from the bladder and out
through the tips of the
penis. The drug is
absorbed into the erectile
tissue of the penis. It
gives an erection within
five to ten minutes.
• Cialis. Cialis is taken
30
minutes before sexual
activity. Cialis is effective
only with sexual
stimulation. Cialis is not

Injection treatments

A drug is injected directly
into the shaft of the penis
when you want to have sex.
Although it sounds a bit
worrying it is easy to learn.
The medication usually works
within about 15 minutes.

Hormone treatments

Hormonal problems are
rarely the cause of impotence.
The most common hormone
abnormality is reduced levels
of the male sex hormone
testosterone. Testosterone can
be restored to a therapeutic
level
with
hormone
replacement
therapy.
Testosterone replacement
therapy should only be taken
if you are tested and these
tests confirm a deficiency.

Penile prosthesis
treatments

You should not consider a
penile prosthesis (implant)
until other forms of treatment
have been tried. There are two
types of penile implant: The
semi-rigid type penis implant:
This penis implant keeps the
penis rigid all the time. The
penis can be bend it
downwards when you’re not
having sex.
• The hydraulic type
penis
implant: The penis to
stiffens when a pump that
is implanted in the
scrotum is activated

Surgical treatments
There are a number of
surgical procedures that can be
carried out if there is a
treatable cause of your
impotence
such
as
abnormalities in the blood flow
in and out of the penis.
Remember the causes of
erectile dysfunction may be
organic or psychological cause
or a combination of the two. A
specialist in the field of
impotence are the best people
to investigate and treat the
cause. A starting point should
be your family doctor or
genitourinary specialist.

Next week: Sex questions to ask your partner and
How to get into her pants

28 — SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012

I

Initially, as a starter you
might want to back out, saying
oh my God what is this I am
doing to myself but with time
you get used to it , it now
becomes like an everyday
thing to you. Just like people
who work in the bank; they
have to wake up very early in
the morning and get back very
late in the night. It is the price
that comes with the job. So, one
way or another, everybody
has got a price to pay.
Can you still remember the
actual film that launched you
into stardom?
I must say that my rise to
stardom was a gradual process.
But the movies that brought
me to the limelight were two
movies that were released the
same day. One is “Ogaa” and
the other is “Ife Odale.” When
they came out, they created so
much awareness for me.
If you are going to take
up a script ,what is the first
thing you consider and
what will make you
accept or reject a script?
The first thing that would
make me accept a script is the
story and the first thing that
would make me reject it is also
the story. If I don’t jell with the
story, I may not go for the
movie.
I also have to look at who is
directing it, and who and who
are starring in the movie. The
producer might be a refresher,
it doesn’t matter to me as long
as he has got a good story and
a good hand directing it and
packed together some
professionals
to
feature in the film.
Have
ever
had to reject
a
script
before?

Iyabo Ojo is a popular Yoruba actress, producer and a writer who has paid her dues in the Ni
Celebrity, the graduate of Estate Management debunks the insinuation that she is divorced. S
Yoruba actress, Lizyy Anjorin, which she recently resolved with her amongst other issues. AYO

Oh I reject scripts all the
time. I reject especially when
I don’t understand the reason
for the story. I am one of those
that believe every story must
have a message. If I am not
convinced about the message
of the story, I reject the script.
At times, I might not be
comfortable with who is
directing the movie and
sometimes I might not be
comfortable with people
featuring in the movie. All
these sometimes make me
reject
a
script.
And
sometimes, when I have
worked too much, I always
seek a break out to rest and
when I get a script between the
time I need to rest and the
time to spend time with my
children, I would either
ask them to postpone or
have to reject all
together.
You
started
a c t i n g

,

How has life been with you
as an actress and a single
mother?
NITIALLY, when I joined
the industry it wasn’t easy
because my children were
young then, and they needed
my attention. It was hard
trying to cope with the job and
bringing up the children but
in life, you always learn to
cope.
Now it is much easier
because they have grown up,
already in secondary schools
and can do pretty much by
themselves and to even make
things all the more easier, my
mum now stays with me. It was
not easy at all in the beginning
but we thank God we have
come this far.
Would you say acting as a
career has been rewarding to
you?
Yes, acting has been
rewarding to me. Financially,
morally and it has opened
many doors for me. It has
afforded me the opportunity to
meet a lot of people in life,
especially, very important
personalities. It has created a
platform for me to launch
myself and has made me
famous. Being famous means
you are always in the eyes of
the public.
Though that has also
restricted my private life
greatly and people get to say
a lot of things they don’t even
know about you but apart from
that, acting has really been
good.
So are you saying you
regret being a celebrity?
When you are successful at
what you do, then you don’t
have a regret. It is when you
are not successful that you
entertain the thoughts of
regrets. The fame as you said
is simply the price you pay for
being in this line of work.

When you marry someone outside the
industry, it is a beautiful thing ; when you
are quiet and you marry someone who is
quiet you become boring and same goes
when both of you are noisy; your life
becomes a noisy affair

when?
I started acting in 1998. My
first movie was Satanic. It was
directed by Basorge and it had
people like Keppy Ekpeyong,
Bimbo Akintola and others.
That was when I was acting in
English-speaking films. I
started fully in Yoruba in
2002. My first Yoruba film
was
Baba
Darijinwon
produced by Alhaji Yinka
Quadri.
What has been your most
challenging role up to date?
Like I tell people, I haven’t
done my most challenging
movie yet. But I do have some
favourite movies I talk about all
the time. Oro Lanre peseje is a
Yoruba movie I really hold dear
to my heart. It was produced
by Muka Ray but my own
produced movie that I really
hold dear to my heart is
Arinzo. It is fresh and it is going

,

to hit the cinemas very soon.
No doubt you are up there now,
a celebrity, probably very
comfortable but which movie
has made most money for you?
All my movies produced by me
have made me good money. In every
movie I produced, I made money
from but I can’t say precisely how
much I have made from them.
Like this your new movie, how much
have you put into it and how much
are you looking to make from it?
We have pumped millions into it and
we expect to make millions. The
movie was not produced only by me.
It was co-produced by my marketer.
We raised money to do it. It was the
first time me and my marketer,
Corporate Pictures, are coproducing a movie.
When you pumped a lot of millions
into a movie, you should expect to
make a lot of millions especially when
the movie was well shot and well
edited. Everything being equal with

SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012 — 29

becomes boring and same
goes for when both of you are
noisy; your life becomes a
noisy affair. When you are
celebrity, you have a lot of
fans and many things to deal
with and the person who is
married to you needs to
understand that fact and you
need to blend that, but when
you are indoors, in the quiet
of your house with your
spouse you are in another
world. There is a sort of
balance in your life. But when
you are married to someone
who is in the same limelight
with you, your life is always
out there in the open
on the pages of
newspapers
because

igerian movie industry. In this interview with Showtime
She also talks about her long lasting feud with another
O ONIKOYI
God on our side ,we should make good
money from it.
But sometimes when you
pump money into something,
you might end up not making
money as expected
In our world, when you have a name
it helps. The more money you spend
when you have a name, the more
money you get. The first thing is to
have a name.
Baba Sala and Moses Olaiya had
all the name anyone could have
in the movie industry and still
lost out with producing Orun
Mooru?
You know it depends on strategy. We
cannot just release Arinzo in
Idunmota market for now. The trick is
to take it around cinemas first to make
money. My marketer alone has the
name to sell the movie on his own.
Iyabo Ojo has not disappointed her
fans before so they will pay good
money to come and watch it in the
cinemas and when it comes out in the
market, I believe they will still spend
their money to buy it. I know the way
I do my own things. I don’t know how
it works for other people. The more
money you put into a project, the
more money you should make if you
get your plans right.
You once said you wanted to get a
divorce to properly dissolve your
marriage to your ex-husband, have
you gotten the divorce?
No, I am not divorced yet. I am still
legally married to Deroju Ojo but it
cannot stop me from living my life

thing of the past. It has no effect
on me. It is what she says now
that matters to me. We don’t
have any issue any more. And
I wish her the best of
everything in life and I am sure
she will wish me well too.
So what you are saying
now is that you people are
on talking terms. Like you
call each on phone and
one
first
name
basis?

anyway. I am not
in a rush to
remarry. Even if
I get the divorce,
I don’t think I am
going to drop
the
Ojo
because Ojo

Me and Lizzy were
never
friends
even before we had
both

has become a brand name
on its own. So, I am still going to
make use of the Ojo and it is a
sign of respect to my kids.
But don’t you think the
Ojo family is going to kick
against your using their
name when you are not
legally married to their son
any longer?
Anybody can be Ojo. There
are so many families who are
Ojo who are not related to me.
Besides, me and the Ojos have a
very cordial relationship and
they don’t have any problem
with my using their name at
all. They respect the fact that I
am even using the name.
Are
you
in
any
relationship
now?
Oh
yeah,
I
am
in
a
relationship. I am in a beautiful
relationship.

Can

we

know

the

person?

No. I don’t talk about my
intimate affairs. When the time
comes for the relationship to go
public, you will definitely know
about it especially when it gets
to the altar.
Is the person from the
industry?
No. He’s far from it.
Why is it that most of you
actors and actresses prefer to
marry
outside
of
the
industry?
I think it is the best thing to do.
When you remain in the same
industry with your spouse, there
is no respect, there is no freedom
and
there
is
lack
of
understanding. When you
marry someone outside of the
industry, it is a beautiful thing
because it is like this; when you

are quiet and you marry
someone who is quiet, your life

you
are celebrities. There an issue. Obviously we are on good
would be too much distraction
from both of you. So the balance
that needs to be in your life is
never there.
In your own opinion, what
is still lacking in Yoruba
films?
We have a lot of things still
lacking. One, we don’t have the
support of the government. We
need them so badly. Secondly,
we need to deal with piracy. It is
really killing us. We want ANTP
to come together as one strong
and better body like they used
to be in those days. We really
need to control and cut down the
amount of films being released
into the market everyday. I
believe if we have a body
controlling the number and
quality of jobs being released into
the market, we will go better
places than we have already.
You know if you have twenty
films out there and only about
five that are good, it gives the
audience an impression we are
not producing good films.

Liz Anjorin on....
(cuts in) oh, I don’t want to
talk about that.
Sincerely, I don’t want to
start the fire again, I just
want to bring out a point
from
what
she
said
sometime ago. She said
you were only jealous of
her
because
she
is
versatile and you are not.
Me and Liz Anjorin have
made up. We have settled.
Whatever you heard must
have come on before we
settled. Whatever she said is a

terms, we do greet each other
but not as you have put it. If
opportunity comes, we can work
together. We are colleagues and we
have put our differences behind us.
We may not be close friends but we
are not enemies, we are
colleagues. People should let
sleeping dogs lie.
So who is Iyabo Ojo
I am me. I love hanging out
with my friends. I love spending
time with my kids all the time.
Surely, you are a very
pretty woman but to you,
what is really sexy about
you?
That is a secret with my man
(laughs). It is for my man to say.
We all have different views about
different things. What is sexy to
A may not be sexy to B. So, I
wouldn’t really know though my
friends call IY Sexy. Maybe, my
figure looks sexy, I don’t know,
maybe my eyes, I swear I don’t
know. But I think what I like most
in my body are my legs. That’s
why I wear shorts a lot.
Sometimes I flaunt it (laughing)
So who do you really love
working with
in the
industry?
A lot of people. But first of all
my crew. Muka Ray, the whole
Muka Ray family, they are my
crew, we love working together.
I love working also with the
Adebayos.
Would you encourage your
kids to go into acting like you?
Oh, they are already into
acting. My daughter, Priscilla,
just did a lead role in a movie
with Toyin Aimakhu in a new
film called Mr and Mrs Jeje. I am
from a family who allows you to
do anything you want to do so
long you are happy with

30—Vanguard, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Best footballers of the season in Europe

T

his season has seen some pretty great individual performances from players all across Europe.
While there are a fair share of the usual suspects on this list, a few other players performed
well enough for their teams to be considered for this list.
Reputation definitely does not play a part here and there may be one or two surprise exclusions. The
achievements of a player's team does not necessarily impact proceedings either, though winning silverware
certainly does help.This list features players who have been a major factor in their team’s successes this
season and have had very good individual season as well.
Real Madrid player has shown that he
is now quite capable of being World
Class in two positions.

Fernando Llorente

F

ernando Llorente helped his
team to two cup finals with his
goals and will have another shot at
glory this weekend.
He scored 29 goals in 38 games for
the club and was again an instrumental factor in the teams fortunes
this season.
Javier Mascherano
avier Mascherano has been a key
man for Barcelona this season.
With both Carles Puyol and
Gerard Pique struggling with
form and fitness at various
points during the season,
Mascherano was the clubs
best center back option.
He performed really
well in that position
when needed, using
his pace and positional sense to snuff out
any danger that Barcelona had. He
was pretty consistent throughout the season
as well.

•Fernando

J

Burak Yilmaz
urak Yilmaz did some
thing even Lionel
Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could not do by
scoring over 50 percent
of his team’s goals in
the Turkish League.
The Trabzonspor forward
scored 33
goals in 34
games this
season.

B

•Javier

Laurent Koscielny
ooking at Ar
senal’s defensive record,
it would be hard
•Burak
to say that Laurent Koscielny is
one of the best players of the season.
If you focus on the
players performances
alone, however you
would have seen a player who showed incredible growth and was Arsenal’s best defender
throughout the season.
He will likely keep a
very experienced player
like Per Mertesacker on
the bench next season.

L

Mario Gomez
ario Gomez will
regret some of his

M

•Laurent

Yaya Toure
aya Toure
provided a
little bit of everything
for
Manchester
City this season.
He
chipped in with
•Yaya
nine goals and
nine assists in
all competitions
but it was his
energy
and
drive that kept
City going as
the season progressed.
David Silva
may have provided more assists but without Yaya Toure, the City
engine room would not have been as
effective as it needed to be.

Y

were able to put up a fight for the title
early on. Had everything else fallen
into place, he could have picked up
either an FA Cup trophy or even a
league title in his debut season at the
club.
Wayne Rooney
ayne Rooney turned up the heat
as the season progressed and
managed to finish with 34 goals in 41
games.
His play in the later part of the season helped Manchester United really
put the pressure on rivals Manchester City. Had he gotten a little more
help, things may have turned out
differently.

W

Antonio Valencia
ntonio Valencia was
Manchester United’s
best winger this season
and that is saying a lot
considering the competition he had in the form of
missed chances in the Ashley Young and Nani.
Injuries slowed him
Champidown a lito n s
tle but he
League
still manfinal but
aged six
he had
goals and
a pro13 assists
ducfor the club
tive
•Anthonio
and was
season nonetheless.
•Mario
almost as
He scored 40 goals
influential
in 44 games for Bayas Wayne Rooney toern Munich this seawards the end of the
son and will be lookseason.
ing to continue that
form in the Euro 2012
tournament for GerScott Parker
many.
cott Parker
won the
Sergio Ramos
Footballer of
eal Madrid
the
Year
d i d
award
last
not miss much in
year
and
condefense
with
tinued his
Ricardo Carvalho
good
perout injured as Serf
o
r
m
a
n
ces
gio
Ramos
for
Tottenstepped into the
ham
this
position
season.
Ramos’ play in
He stabithe center of delized
the
fense has earned
teams midhim some much
field and was
•Sergio
deserved praise
a major reathis season. The
son why they

A

R

•Wayne

S

•Scott

Vanguard, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012 —31

Thiago Silva

A

C Milan may have missed
the presence of Andrea
Pirlo in midfield but they were
perfectly fine in defense when
Thiago Silva was in the lineup.
Silva is arguably the best
center back in
World Football
right now and his
influential displays for Milan
this season are a
big reason why.
Didier Drogba
idier Drogba
fired Chelsea
to FA Cup and
Champions
League victories
this season and
took away Fernando
Torres’
starting spot in
the process.
Chelsea will
have a hard
time replacing
him if he does
leave the club.

*Thiago

D

•Didier Drogba

Robin Van
Persie
obin Van
Pe r s i e
•Messi
scored an in•Robin
credible 36
goals in 44
games
this
season. It may
not be so good
when
compared to Lionel
Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
and his game-winner
but that’s even better than against Barcelona will
the likes of Sergio Aguero.
definitely stand out.
Van Persie kept Arsenal
afloat during one of the clubs
most disappointing seasons Lionel Messi
s Didier Drogba Blues’
and he has to be considered
ionel Messi has had a
Greatest Player Ever?
as the major factor in the
record-breaking season so
Before Didier Drogba even
teams somewhat surprising far with 72 goals in all comstepped up to the spot,
third place finish.
petitions.
While he does not have any
silverware to show for it yet—
Cristiano
Barcelona still has the Copa
Ronaldo
Del Rey
ristiano
f i n a l
Ronala g a i n s t it was
do was the
A t l e t i c o over. We
closest comM a d r i d all knew it.
petitor to Lithis Fri- Long before the
onel Messi
d a y — powerful Ivorian
in the goals
there are drove home the
column with
p l a y e r s decisive spot60 to his
w i t h kick in Chelsea’s
name and he
m u c h Champions
already has
less con- League final victory over Baysome silvert r i b u - ern Munich, we had begun
ware to add
tions to wondering whether the whole
to his collect h e i r thing had already been writtion.
s q u a d ten in the stars. And whether
Ronaldo
this sea- Drogba was the key to it all.
Back in December, the agscored some
son who
ing
forward had turned in a
key goals to
are on
vintage
display to power
lead
Real
this list.
•Ronaldo
Chelsea past Valencia, proMadrid to the
longing both the dream and
La Liga title
the doomed reign of Andre

R

L

C

C
M
Y
K

Villas-Boas. As the spring
progressed, he had delivered
encores in the Round of 16
and especially the semifinals.
Then, finally, with Europe’s
most prestigious club title on
the line in Munich, all the
loose ends fell perfectly into
place, just waiting to be tied.
Chelsea had trailed, and all
had seemed lost after Thomas
Müller’s headed goal late in
the second half. But Drogba
pulled Chelsea back from the
brink one last time, sending
the final into extra time, and
eventually to penalty kicks,
where the final say fell appropriately to him.
By then, it was over, all of
it: The match, Bayern’s
hopes for a fairytale
home final and Drogba’s
Chelsea career. And we
all knew it.
The time was right, and
we knew it was the perfect ending for a legendary career. But was it
the best career in Chelsea history?
Other players have
scored more goals and played
more games for Chelsea. Even
Frank Lampard appears
ahead of Drogba on Chelsea’s
all-time scoring chart with
186 to Drogba’s 157.

Off the pitch

I

•Drogba

But Drogba led the Premier
League in scoring twice—an
honor only Alan Shearer and
Thierry Henry share and in
European competition, his
record stands head and shoulders above any other Chelsea
player.
Results matter more than
anything else in football, and
Drogba consistently delivered
with style. Leading from the

front, the 34-year-old helped
the previously silverware-shy
Blues to two Premier League
titles, four FA Cups and, of
course, the club’s only Champions League triumph in 107
years of competition.
Nor was he merely a spectator. Drogba’s Chelsea career
was crammed with memorable moments and glorious
goals, and he was never better than in major finals.
He finishes his Chelsea career with exactly 100 league
goals, a number that fits neatly with his mythical status:
Blues Need Edinson
Cavani to Replace Didier

•Edinson

Drogba
f Chelsea want to replace
Didier Drogba, the club
needs to bring in Edison Cavani.
He may never be as great as
Drogba was at Chelsea, but
Cavani is a superstar in the
making.
The Uruguayan has scored
more than 30 goals in each of
his two years at Napoli. He is
a great central striker, and he
would fit very well in Drogba’s role.
Cavani is being shopped
around, but he will still command an offer of about £50
million. Chelsea have the
money, but Roman Abramovich must decide if he wants to
spend it all in one place.
With Hulk possibly on the
way, Chelsea will have already spent a hefty amount of
money. Nevertheless, Chelsea seem keen on getting a
striker to replace Drogba.
Considering the talent Chelsea have right now, they need
to be absolutely sure of the
striker who’s brought in.
Fernando Torres has struggled, but he can still score
goals. Daniel Sturridge faded as the year went on, but
he could thrive at the central
striker role. Right now, it
seems like Romelu Lukaku is
too raw to make an impact at
Chelsea.
None of them sound too enticing, do they?
Didn’t think so.
It would be ideal for Chelsea to bring in a stud striker.
Radamel Falcao’s name has
been thrown around, but he
isn’t as dangerous as Cavani.
He would probably cost about
the same amount so it would
be best if Chelsea let him stay
in Madrid.

I

32—VANGUARD, SATURDAY, MAY 26 , 2012

•Benson

Acting
gives you
amazing
opportunities
-- Benson Okonkwo

-

You have modeled for
different
brands
and
appeared in a lot of
Nollywood productions; if
asked to choose one profession, which would it be and
why?
prefer acting because it
gets you into limelight and
fame. You get to meet a lot of
personalities and you are
respected. You are respected
because everyone sees you as
an icon that you have become.
These days, you can get to become a brand ambassador
and a peace ambassador.
Modeling gives you the pay,
but not the fame and recognition that you need. But as an
actor, you get access to modeling contracts also. It can be
said that being an actor gives
you access to other paying
contracts.
Which of them is more
difficult? Movie or modeling
Movies are more difficult to
produce than TV commercials
because it takes a lot of energy
and time! You have to stress
yourself as an actor to bring
out the best in you. An actor is
trained to become the
character that he is imitating

I

as though it is
real life. Acting
requires full concentration; it is taking the
fictitious story and making
it non- fiction and real whereas modeling is about the
brand you are advertising.
You cannot do more than the
script says.
How far do you want to go
as an actor?
Hollywood standard by
God’s grace! I would like to
act alongside great Hollywood
stars like Brad Pitts and
Angelina Jolie his wife and
colleague.
We learnt you have been on
location since January, how
have you been coping?
Well, I have been in different productions since January perhaps because these
producers and directors saw
something in me. After all,
there is this popular saying
that ‘good wine needs no but’.
I bless God for the privilege,
grace and enablement to stay
this strong. It has been so
stressful but it is worth the
while. It is fascinating when
you see yourself in an
awesome performance on TV!
Nollywood is a place where up
coming actors and actresses
work their heads off without
the pay. But l suppose life is
like that, there will be a day
for reckoning. And I use this
medium to say thanks to all
that believes in me.
What is the most difficult
role you have played and how
did you manage it?
The movie titled ‘Strippers’
was the most challenging
character I have ever acted. In
the movie, I acted the part of
a girl stripper and the role
wasn’t easy at all.
What popular face have
you starred alongside with
and how was it like working
with him?

* Benson

•Benson

,

B

enson Okonkwo is
not just an amazing
model, but is in many
regards; a consummate actor.
Coming from a pretty comfortable background; he isn’t
one of those artistes who
chose their careers out of
desperation
to
make
quick cash. His passion,
rather than a vain craze
for money or effizy, has
informed his dual career
of modeling and acting.
In this interview with
FLORENCE AMAGIYA ,
he talks about his childhood, his double- dose
passion and his future.
Enjoy!

The movie
titled ‘Strippers’
was the most
challenging
character I have
ever acted. In
the movie, I
acted the part of
a girl stripper
and the role
wasn’t easy at
all

,

I have worked with a lot of
them, but Jim Iyke is my
favourite; I played the lead
role with him in a certain movie. The movie was directed by
Iyke Odife; Jim Iyke is a pleasant person to work with. He
has this swag that I love. We
were very close in that production and we rehearsed
scripts together before
shooting.
What did you study in

school?
I studied Business Management at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Did you ever dream you
would become an actor as a
child?
Well, when I was a child, I
usually act in the church’s
Stations of the Cross where I
played the part of Jesus Christ
every good Friday. I was also
active in my secondary
school’s drama group.
What was childhood like?
My childhood was just
there. I am very close to my
mum and I love her so much.
I have grown so used to her to
the extent that I can die for her.
She taught me all I know and
gave me all l have. She
financed and backed me up
while I was modeling and
even now as an actor.
What kind of family did you
grow up in?
I grew up in a home of four
boys; I do not have a sister.
My parents made us six in
number. Love, peace and togetherness were the order of
the day in my home. We used
to pray together every
morning. It was usually fun to
witness. There is this love
bond in my home. It still
baffles me that some families
do not have this culture in
their homes. How can you
give out love when you do not

have it to give? I am the third
child in my home. I have lots
of women as friends since I do
not have sisters of my own.
How did your father
influence your childhood?
My father made sure I went
to good schools and made
everything smooth and steady
for me and most importantly,
he brought my brothers and I
close to the Almighty God.
What kind of home do you
plan to build in future?
I will love to marry a fair, tall
and sexy lady! Most
importantly, she must be God
fearing. I am an African man;
l would also like to marry a
woman who also can cook.
Are you in a relationship?
Yes I am! Were you expecting a handsome, young man
like me to be single?
What’s your
future
plan?
I am also a model and know
what it is like to be one. I
would like to open a modeling
agency and a cloth line (Mr.
Packaging). I want to give the
upcoming models the
opportunity to do runways and
commercial modeling because
I love fashion a lot!
What’s your form of
exercise?
My best form of exercise is
swimming and jugging. I
keep fit and healthy that way.

Vanguard, SARTURDAY, MAY 26, 2012—33

By PRISCA SAM-DURU
Ebbe Bassey is a Nigerian Hollywood superstar who has made great
impact in the industry through sheer hard work and determination. Born
in Bronx New York and raised in Calabar, the charming writer and
producer speaks on her career in Hollywood as well as issues relating
to Nollywood. Excerpts.
You were born in Bronx, have you ever spent
time in Nigeria?
es, I did spend time in Nigeria. I lived
there from the age of two through sixteen,
my most formative years.
Academic background?
I went to kindergarten (nursery) school
through high (secondary) school in Nigeria and
then, I came to New York to continue on to
undergraduate and graduate studies.
Is Ebbe married or single?
I am very much married to my love, Mark
Manczuk. He is a beautiful, amazing, loving,
thoughtful, gentle, sweet, kind and gentle
person. I am quite blessed to have him in my
life as a partner and I think after all I have been
through in relationships, God wanted to make
it up to me LOL.

Y

—Ebbe Bassey

,

How did you find your way
into Hollywood?
I don’t even know how to
explain it except to say by
sheer faith and will power. I
had always been into acting,
singing, art, creativity and
entertainment. I used to buy
an actor ’s magazine called
BackStage Magazine, flip the
pages and throw it away
without going to audition for
any of the roles because I
thought my accent would be
an issue. I still can’t say how
I even found out about the
magazine. Finally, one day I
saw an audition for a Nigerian
play and I thought to myself
“now this is it, I can do this!”
So, I showed up there with a
colour 8x10 glamour shot
picture (only black & white
pictures were used at the time
especially for theater
auditions), and on the back
was my made up credits and
a copy of Chinua Achebe’s
“Things Fall Apart.” I
proceeded to read my
monologue from the book as
opposed to performing it off
hand as is the norm. I tell
you, that was some nerve on
my part. I did end up with a
role in the play and I made
great friends from it as well. I
had a friend who encouraged
me to go to acting school
which I did and ever since
then, I have just been blessed
to have been presented with
one opportunity after another.
Any difficulty getting roles
in Hollywood Films?
It is difficult in this business
even for those who are already
established , let alone a new
comer such as myself who is
still trying to make my way in
the industry! Besides, how
many meaty, decent roles are
there for black women,
especially black women of a
certain age, size or looks? It
is not easy! If you are not a
genius, you had better be
undeniably talented. It is a
rough business on all levels:
emotionally,
mentally,
physically and spiritually.
The constant rejection can
take a toll if one does not have
God closer than one’s skin!
My faith is placed in God and
not man. Only God holds my

Women need
spiritual core to be
empowered

It is difficult in this business
even for those who are already
established, let alone a new
comer such as myself who is still
trying to make my way in the
industry!

career in His hands and if it
pleases Him, then I shall
continue forward, moving from
one success to another. It may
be a tough business but I
believe in telling the mountain
in my path about my God and
His leveling power. At this
point, I would venture to say
that women should value
themselves because once you
know yourself worth, no one
can mistreat or use you. If you
know you are good at
something, then put all your
time and effort into improving
yourself at that thing because
no one ever knows it all. Find
a person who is great at the
same thing and ask him to
mentor you and to be
empowered, you need to have
a spiritual core. Find God and
you will find your power and
strength.
Well, I would say a woman
or any person interested in this
business should have some
level of talent but we all know
that looks trumps talent these
days in Hollywood or
Nollywood
or
Bollywood....whichever wood
it is. But it would be nice if
they had talent. I would add
training, determination, drive,
confidence which is not to be
confused with arrogance,
humility, faith and strength of
character because the
compromise one has to make
sometimes can either build or
break your spirit!
Before you commenced
acting in Hollywood, were
you into any other career or
profession?
Yes, and I am still doing it. I
believe in always having a
steady paycheck.
You starred in NYPD Blue
and in Law & Order; before

,

these, which other films have
you starred in and which
would you say made you a
star?
I would not describe myself
as a star because I am not one
and I didn’t get into the
business to be one. I just want
to do great work and live my
dream instead of chasing after
it. Fame is very fleeting but
great work defies time. NYPD
Blue gave me my very first
opportunity to be on television.
I have since gone on to work
on several short films that have
appeared on the cable networks
HBO and Showtime - A
Spoonful of Sugar (Showtime),
African Booty Scratcher (HBO),
Say Grace before Drowning
(Showtime), Brooklyn Shakara
(Vox TV) and Siri Oko Fo which
I wrote, executive produced
and served as lead actress .The
movie has debuted at the very
prestigious Cannes Film
Festival. Last year, I completed
two feature films - Ties that
Bind featuring Kimberly Elise,
Omotola Ekeinde Jalade, Ama
K. Abebrese for which I was
nominated for Best Supporting
Actress at the 2012 AMAA
awards and Ma’George
featuring Isaach de Bankelo,
Angelique Kidjo and the iconic
Nigerian actress Madam
Bukky Wright. As of May 14,
2012, I just completed the Tony
Abulu project Doctor Bello
featuring Isaiah Washington,
Jimmy Jean-Louis, Vivica Fox,
Genevieve Nnaji, Zack Orji,
Stephanie Okereke and
Desmond Eliot.
What are your challenges as
a resident actress in the USA?
I would say mostly, not often
getting an opportunity to go
out for roles that I know I could
do in my sleep. It is very much

a business of who you know
and who knows you!
Which area do you think
Nollywood is not getting it
right?
This is probably a dead
horse at this point but
technical quality/production
quality has to improve. I think
that is usually what audience
members complain about the
most - sound, lighting and
picture quality. I have heard
complaints about story/plot
lines that are not thoroughly
thought out. And I have heard
complaints about there not
being enough talented new
faces. All of these issues are
not impossible to fix if there
is a desire to do so.
Do you have plans to
partner with producers or
produce films in Nigeria?
At this moment, no ma’am.
I never say never but at this
moment, I don’t have any
interest in producing films in
Nigeria. My predominant
love is acting. I have
produced in the States out of
necessity but that is not my
passion. If an opportunity to
act comes up in Nollywood
and everything aligns well, I
wouldn’t mind doing it but to
produce...not right now.
There’s been much talk
about Nollywood playing a
vital role in salvaging
Nigeria’s battered image?
I think Nollywood has done
a great job of being a great
PR tool for Nigeria. We can’t
hang all our hopes of
“ rebranding” or rehabbing
Nigeria’s battered image on

Nollywood! Nigerians should
hang their hopes on the
leaders they have voted into
office. Actors are actors,
entertainers and
NOT
politicians. It has been great
to have so many people love,
appreciate and support the
industry but please, let’s hold
our
political
leaders
accountable for what they are
voted to do which is their job
without the stealing, lying,
corruption and bribery. It is
what they are doing that is
causing all the issues we
have. They are the ones
ruining our image in the
world. Hold Nigerian leaders
accountable, develop some
checks and balances in
government...I mean, why are
Nigerian leaders getting paid
in dollars like they are
expatriates? A senator in
Nigeria makes more than the
President of United States of
America and when you see
where his constituents live, it
is a damn shame...Please,
don’t get me started!
And the 200million dollars
fund?
Abeg, I’ve said enough about
the government! All I can say is
that they should give out the
funds based on merit and not
cronyism and tribal issues. I
would hope that they would do it
fairly but I am not holding my
breath, K-leg dey always enter our
matta...and there I go again LOL
LOL LOL!

34—SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012

EBUN SESSOU

I make out time to
eat good food
—Sotimirin
P

opular actor and sing
er, Otunba Tunji
Sotimirin,
a.ka.
Kankere Master says eating
good food is a habit he cultivated as a child. According
to him, “I cannot do without
eating good food on a daily
basis”. He is our guest in this
edition of Celebrity Tummy
Talk as he speaks on his love
for efo riro. He says, efo riro
retains a significant measurement of its greenness. For
him, efo riro is the best choice
of soup because it retains a
significant measurement of its
greenness which symbolises
nature. Enjoy it
As a celebrity, how is your
feeding habit?
I make out time to eat good
food conveniently. Growing
up, I cultivated a better attitude to food and I wouldn’t
give up on eating well not
even a day.

How do you define
eating right?
It is the ability to eat the
right food at the right time.
With your busy schedule,
how do you make out
time to eat?
It is not compulsory that I
should eat three times in a
day but it is necessary that I
eat good food everyday. Despite my busy schedule, I
wouldn’t deny myself of eating. So, my job doesn’t disturb
me at all.
How do you align them together?
That is the secret you have
to pay for. But, the fact remains that I eat food everyday.
I don’t joke with my morning
and evening meals.
So, what wouldn’t you do
without?
My special attention goes to
efo riro,vegetable soup prepared with assorted meat and
pomo. I wouldn’t joke with

that delicious soup.
How many times would you
eat efo riro in a day?
I make sure I eat vegetable as
much as I can because it is
healthier and richer.
What wouldn’t you miss
out of the efo riro?
I like it when it is prepared
with plenty of stock-fish as
well as sliced pomo.
Can
you
mention
some of the nutritional
values of this soup?
Vegetable is rich in iron which
the body automatically requires
for growth. It helps in maintenance of the red blood cell.
What is your drinking habit
like?
I drink water and that is my best
drink so far. Water is good for
the body and as a comedian,
I drink water to cool temper.
Exercises?
I spent most of my
exercises rehearsing.

Otunba Tunji Sotimirin

5 foods that can improve
your health

Soy beans

N

othing matters more
than taking good
care of your heart.
Getting regular exercise, not
smoking, and controlling
stress are the necessary
things that the body requires
along with eating a variety of
nutritious, heart-healthy
foods that make up a healthy
diet.

Blueberries

Blueberries is one of the
most powerful disease-fighting foods. These delicious
jewels are packed with fiber
and vitamin C. They boost
heart health when you add
them in your diet regularly
either on the whole-grain
cereal or eaten plain or
mixed with other fruits for a
low-calorie, high-fiber tasty
fruit salad, dessert, or snack.

Salmon

This cold-water fish is a
great source of protein and is
also packed with hearthealthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Salmon
Salmon is easy to prepare on
the grill, in the oven or microwave.

Oatmeal

Soy Protein

This inexpensive, highquality protein contains fiber,
vitamins, and minerals, all the
ingredients for a hearthealthy meal. Also, a diet rich
in soy protein can lower triglycerides, which help prevent
cardiovascular diseases and
cholesterol levels. The
benefits of soy foods are due
to their high levels of
polyunsaturated fats, fiber,
vitamins, and minerals.

Oatmeal

Oats are nourishing whole
grains and a great source of
vitamins, minerals, and cholesterol-lowering fiber. A diet
high in oats can reduce the
risk for heart disease. Research shows oats lower cholesterol levels, keep you

radicals
and
reactive oxygen
species that play
a healing role in
aging and various
disease processSpinach
regular, and may help prevent certain cancers. A warm
bowl of oatmeal fills the belly
for hours with its high fiber
content.

Spinach

Fresh leaves are rich source
of several vital anti-oxidant vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin
C amongst other benefits. It
acts as protective scavengers
against oxygen-derived free

es.

Benefits of
eating Spinach

W

onderful green leafy
vegetable spinach
is often recognised
as one of the functional food
for its nutritional, antioxidants
and anti-cancer constituents.
Its tender, crispy, dark green
leaves are favorite ingredients of chefs all around the
planet. Botanically ,it be-

longs to the amaranthaceae family
Good Eyesight : I t
can help prevent vitamin A deficiency disease, itching eyes, eye
ulcers, and dry eyes.
Protects your skin:
Can protect the skin
from harmful UV rays
and helps repair the
damaged genes.
Bone Mineralization: Spinach is a good
source of vitamin K,
which aids in retaining
calcium, plus minerals
such as manganese, copper,
magnesium, zinc, and phosphorus helps to build strong
bones.
Stable Blood Pressure: D ue
to its high content of potassium and low content of sodium, it can help regulate a
healthy blood pressure and
the folate in spinach
contributes to a reduction of
hypertension.
Good for your Heart: A
component in spinach can be
used to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases.
Anti-Cancerous Properties:
S pinach does not contain any
chemical therefore, it has the
possibility of reducing the
likelihood of getting bladder,
prostate, liver, and lung cancer.

SATURDAY

Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012—35

enjoy my job and I keep
working on improving on the
job.

Email: youthfulvibes@gmail.com

Muawuya Muhammed Naibi

I am concerned
about the safety
of our air planes
—Muawuya Muhammed Naibi

Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater
degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgivng- of any carelessness,
incapacity or neglect.
Captain A. G. Lamplugh
Muawuya Muhammednaibi( 29) is a graduate of Computer
Science from Kano University of Science and Technology presently working with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. He is
passionate about air transport safety and in a chat with Youthful
Vibes he tells us about his responsibility to ensure that all the
facilities needed for smooth air travel are in place and in good
condition, and as well as protecting the right of aviation consumer. Excerpts:

C
M
Y

,

My background
I have quite a large family
with my parents (Hauwa and
M. Naibi) who are both fulani
from Zamfara State. I grew up
in kano where I had the
privilege to attend Tarbiyya
Nursery school and Da’awa
Primary school both in kano.
Thereafter, I obtained my
senior secondary school
certificate from Science
College D\tofa. I then gained
admission
into
Kano
University of Science and
Technology where I bagged a
degree in Computer Science.
In 2009, I had to go out of the
North to have my primary
assignment
(NYSC)
in
Umuahia, Abia State. In
deed, it was such a rewarding
experience; it was an eye
opener and a good way of
interacting culturally with

I believe that the
involvement of
young people in
Aviation brings
proven
benefits whether
or not they are
members of a
uniformed
organization

,

people from other ethnic
groups. Today, I have
friends from that region.
Young
people’s
involvement
in
the
Aviation Industry

I believe that the
involvement of young
people in Aviation
brings
proven
benefits whether or
not they are members
of
a
uniformed
organization.
For
some, it is a first step
towards a career in
the civil aviation. For
others, it represents
an opportunity to
make the most of their
potential
as
individuals
in
whatever walk of life
they choose to follow.
It provides a path
away from negative
and
destructive
influences, providing
a
counter-culture
involving leadership,
determination and
self-discipline.
My journey into
the
aviation
industry
My desire as a
teenager is to see
myself work in the
Aviation
industry
especially when I
witnessed
some
irregularities in the
time past with air
travel. This got me
thinking
and
stimulated
my
interest in getting
myself trained. The
journey has been
great so far as it has
provided me with the
opportunity
of
attending
several
courses, workshops
and seminars both
locally
and
internationally.
These trainings were
focused on improving
the efficiency of air
transport and other
aviation services in
Nigeria. As a matter of
fact, I started work in
the
Consumer
Protection Office.The
department desires to
offer
after
an
improved customer
protection service to
numerous customers
in
the
aviation
industry. Also, I was
part of the team
charged with ensuring
quality and customerfriendly
service
deliveries by the
various providers in
the aviation sector. I

My
vision
and
the
Aviation Industry
I see myself as Aviation
proportional
who
is
contributing a lot in the
development of the aviation
sector in Nigeria to highest
international standards.
My ultimate desire is to help
my organization to be the
leading
civil
aviation
authority in the world and to
provide aviation safety and
economic regulations in the
most efficient, effective,
quality and technology driven
manner to the satisfaction and
benefit of all stakeholders;
consistent with the highest
international standards and
the sustainable development
of the industry and national
economy.
The future offers equally
exciting prospects such as
satellites
and
advanced
electronics, pilot flight crew
aviation regulators in all
sectors in aviation. As a result,
the aviation and aerospace

industries remain a key part
of the Nigerian economy and
a stimulus to research in
both industry and other
aviation colleges. This can
only continue if there is a
constant supply of highly
motivated young people
from the rising generations,
enthused by the excitement
of flight, willing to enter the
industry.I want to see many
young people choose this
career path as it helps them
to build capacity and also
stimulate their creativity.
Advice
to
Nigerian
Youth
The
word
‘aviation’
naturally will remind you of
flying. However, you will
have to first crawl, walk then
run before you think of
flying. One step at a time. We
got to keep moving in spite
of the challenges that
confront us. As we work on
building capacity for today
and tomorrow’s challenges,
we will someday spread our
wings and fly with other
successful people. It is just a
matter of time.

YOUNG NIGERIANS MAKING THE DIFFERENCE
OLAMIDE
JAIYEOLA
OLUWAGBEMILE
LAGOS STATE

P

hotography is be
coming a big
business and young
people are tapping
into it. Lamzy as she is
fondly called by her
clients is a graduate of
marketing
from
Covenant University
who is passionate
about photography.
She is the founder of
LamzyFotography —a photography outfit that helps
individuals to create indelible masterpieces and unforgettable
memories.Her passion for photography was ignited while in
the university as a 300level student. During her spare time
at that level she would call her friends together to dophoto
shoots for them with the webcam on her laptop. This
entrepreneurial drive has now become a lucrative business.
Lamzy has been privileged to do model shoots, portraitures,
shoots for editorials and so on. She runs a website where
her clients and photography enthusiasts visit to have a taste
of her excellent pictures. In her own words: “I am happy that
I am adding value to lives and I have not allowed my gender
to limit me”. Lamzy already has her sights on making her
mark through the lens of her camera.The good news is that
she is already doing this one day at a time.

OLANIKE
AROGUNDADE
ABUJA

O

nly last week Youthful
Vibes’s lead story was
centered on a young Nigerian
beautifying lives with her hands
and make up kits. Perhaps
Nigeria’s beauty industry’s
story will be incomplete without
the contributions of the likes of
OlanikeArogundade of Fantasia Makeovers. She is a graduate
of Business adminisration from University of Abuja. Nike’s
romance with the brush and powder started when she was a
kid; she would make up her younger sister and
cousins.Fortunately for her, she stumbled on the House Of
Tara scholarshipprogramme for aspiring make up
entrepreneurs focused on empowering young ladies through
the art of make up. Nike draws her inspiration from Tara
Durotoye, Ty Bello andBankeMeshida, who have made their
marks in the beauty industry, and she plans to supercede
their contributions to the beauty industry.Her organization
engages in bridal makeup, video shoots and runway make
up, just to mention a few. She always has this on her mind and
would say it repeatedly: “Follow your dreams.Your dream is
your passion.Don’t just do it because of the money, because
it can be frustrating when the money doesn’t come as
anticipated, but do it for the passion”.

36—SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012

Straightened
hair does not
revert
It is a colourful
collection, with a
strong interplay
between intricate
patterns, such as
vibrant florals and
paisley
and
henna-inspired
designs,
and
brilliant colours,
such as amethyst,
chartreuse,
turquoise, midnight blue and
ruby red, creating a romantic
yet youthful mood.

I

n line with its focus on
incorporating elements
from various cultures into
its fabrics, Vlisco’s latest
collection, Palais des
Sentiments, features a rich,
opulent mix of textures,
jewel-toned prints and fluid
silhouettes. The collection

Luxury Editions
Vlisco’s waxes and javas can
be combined with a
coordinating range of
embroidered and embellished
Luxury Editions, to create
surprising new looks that
follow the same colour and
design story, for easy mix and
matching. The new Luxury
Editions feature intricate
embellishments in gleaming
golds, shiny coppers and
metallic sequins for a look of
goddess-like glamour. In a
first for Vlisco, the Palais des
Sentiments Luxury Editions
feature a mix of java, wax and
super wax fabrics and even
melds together fabrics using
an ornamental gold border of
sequins and Lurex in a
groundbreaking design it calls
Golden Glamour, creating an
extra wide
(180
cm)
cloth.

ctually, straightened
hair neither reverts to
i
t
s
afro texture nor does
anything make your hair
‘due’ for a touch-up
quicker than you would
normally.
This is a myth that most
women repeat in explaining the
inadequacy
of
their
straightening product [Relaxer]
or the incompetence of their
hair stylist. If hair has been
successfully
straightened,
it cannot
turn back
i n t o
‘natural’
hair again.
T
h
e
interval
between
touch-ups
depends on
how ‘ well’
your hair is
doing. If you
have paid a
lot
of
attention to
your hair
through
increased
deepconditioning
and
m e t i c u l o u s
moisturizing, the hair
will
respond
by
growing. That was the
essence of pampering
the hair, wasn’t it?
And once hair grows,
it
will
have
undergrowth which
will need to be
straightened. How
often one straightens
one’s hair with
Relaxing
cream
depends on the
individual hair ’s
characteristics. It is
not a rule cast in
stone.
So if you feel that
your hair needed a
touch-up much
earlier than you
would ordinarily have done one,
be
sure that the last chemical application was truly successful.
If your hair is not fully and completely straightened, of
course, it won’t hold out for six weeks till your next touchup. Also, if you are the sporty type and you
. exercise regularly, all that head-sweating is a form of
‘steaming’ for your hair. After all, what is steaming? Is it
not the application of heat to moisturize the hair? And is
water not the moisture that hair needs?
Lastly, check out your straightening product of choice.
Is it the best for your hair and scalp type? Will it give you
the sleek ‘ relaxed’ look you want? Was the product
sufficiently applied to coat ‘all’ the hair? If the instructions
specify that a product can only do two applications, have
you stretched it to cover three, and are expecting full
straightening?
If you eliminate all the possibilities that diminish the
quality and duration of your straightened hair, then you
can solve the problem of anything or product “making
your hair due quickly”.
If in doubt, consult a Professional hairstylist to help
decipher what your hair needs to thrive at optimum.

Thank you for reading and do make it a great week!
Text only please: 08056180150
Email: myangelsstudio@yahoo.com

SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012 —37

other things. Personally, I
have never come across a
clothing brand that just
focuses on shirts.

How would you describe
your designs?
My designs are specific to
my character and they are
classy and corky
What inspires your designs?
My designs are actually
inspired by one of the leaders
of modern Architecture,
Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe’s
minimalist design style. I use
the less is more approach to
create an impression of
extreme simplicity by
highlighting the shirt in its
pure
form
without
distraction. That way, the,
progressive beauty and
craft can be seen.

How did you go from
Architecture to designing
shirts?
I started Nkili in 2011, after
attending art school for a year
at
the
Architectural
Association
School
of
Architecture
and
the
University of Dundee School
of Architecture, Scotland.
During my second year, I
entered for a competition and
developed a business plan.
With the support and help of
the Scottish Youth Business
Trust founded by Prince
Charles
and
Cultural
Enterprise, I was able to

establish Nkili. They started with
providing business advice to me
and eventually I was given a
financial grant. Basically that was
how it started.

Are your shirts available in
any fashion store in Nigeria?
At the moment, I have
managed to get just two
stockiest in Lagos where
people can get our ready to
wear designs. One is at
Deola Sagoe flagship store
and Lespace in Victoria
Island. Also people can
place their order online.

What aspect of fashion does
Nkili specializes in and what
makes it unique?
Nkili specializes in making
beautiful, hand painted shirts.
Nkili is a luxury shirt making
brand focused on highlighting
the most important garment in the
female wardrobe. My collections
are really unique because we
design, print, and produce the
most beautifully crafted silk shirts
that people treasure. Every
single piece goes through a
journey, from design to print to
production
and
is
nurtured by
h i g h l y
s k i l l e d
production
team
in
Scotland.
The process
o
f
combining
tonal hand
drawing
w i t h
traditional
silk screen
printing and
h a n d
painting
techniques
on pure silk
make each
p i e c e
unique.

How affordable are
your shirts?
They are very affordable
and our price ranges from
N8, 000 to N22, 000.

,

N

ikili is a luxury
fashion label the
specializes
in
designing unique and exotic
silk shirts for the discerning
woman of style and class.
Owned by Scottish based
Nigerian, Tolani Nkili
Onajide, she discovered and
developed her passion for
fashion while studying
Architecture
at
the
Architectural Association
School of Architecture,
London and the University of
Dundee
School
of
Architecture, Scotland. With
a budding career and
undeterred resilience in the
pursuit of what she believes
in, she has received a number
of awards and support from
business organizations like
the Prince’s Scottish Youth
Business Trust and cultural
Enterprise.
In this interview with
Esther Onyegbula, she talks
about her love for fashion,
her designs, how each piece
goes on a journey from
design and print to
production, and her official
launch party this weekend in
Lagos. Enjoy.

Since you officially
launched your designs
outside the country how
has the response been?
For the short time I have been
in the market, my brand has
done really well in the sense
that I have got a lot of attention
and interest. A lot of people
admire and are interested in
the brand. My plan is to make
it much more successful in
terms of actually getting my
people to be interested in the
brand.

How would you
compare the fashion
industry with what
obtains in the fashion
industry outside the
country?
There are no basis for
comparing both fashion
industries because in
Nigeria, we have just
started. Yes, no doubt
there a but there are
great
talents
and
potentials in the industry
here.

With the
support and
help of the
Scottish Youth
Business Trust
founded by
Prince Charles
and Cultural
Enterprise, I
was able to
establish Nkili

Why did you decide to
design shirts only?
I decided that I wanted to go
into shirt making because I
love to wear shirts. It is like a
stable for me and the most

,

important piece in a wardrobe.
I didn’t want to use generic
prints in making the shirts. So,
I decided to make it into
something different. When
you take a look at my
collections, you will find
something different. For
instance, in my summer/

autumn collection, you’d find
different contrast materials
such as velvet and shapes
different from the regular
shirts you find around. I
wanted to known for making
shirts with my signature
imprinted in it. I didn’t want
to get distracted by doing

With so many fashion
and clothing brand in
Nigeria, how do you
intend to cope with
competition?
I don’t see any competition.
Please don’t get me wrong. I
probably would say same thing
if I were in the UK as well. I
feel like I am in a world of my
own because what I do is quite
different from what other
designers are doing.

38 — SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012

Vanguard, SARTURDAY, MAY 26, 2012—39

C
M
Y
K

40—SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012

TRIBUTE

SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012------41

42 — SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012

SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012 — 43

44 — Vanguard, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

By EMMA NNADOZIE and
EVELYN USMAN

M

ONDAY, May 21, 2012, was a
day to be reckoned with in the
history of men and officers of the Lagos
State Police Command, following the
maiden visit of the acting InspectorGeneral of Police, Mr Mohammed
Abubakar. Although that was not the
first time an IGP would be visiting
the command since its existence, this
visit was symbolic in the sense that a
man who made remarkable achievements while he was the Commissioner in the state, was coming home to
roost, just like the chicken. Interestingly, the large number of his civilian
admirers and friends were competing for space with the police rank and
file that graced the occasion in spite
of the strong security measures put
in place by CP Umar Manko. MD, as
he is fondly called who spoke for
hours extempore, to the admiration
of all, extolled the giant strides President Goodluck Jonathan is taking to
improve the welfare of members of
the force. He reeled out other packages for members of the force.
Excerpts:
Welfare
We are making efforts to ensure that
welfare of officers is taken care of by
the government . We have made a
proposal that the basic salary of police
will be N50,000. We are following it up
and the President is listening to us. We
are also making efforts in the area of
accommodation .Very soon, we will
have about 5,000 housing units in
Idimu and we will start with the rank
and file(loud ovation).
These are men that are not well taken
care of, yet they are the ones who are
always under the sun and in the rain.
They are the foot soldiers of the Force
and we will pay much attention to
ensure that they are taken care of.
Officers take note, the era of allowing
the rank and file to die carelessly is
over . Any DPO who allows his rank
and file to die carelessly will be
sanctioned(more ovation). The era of
you thinking you are a DPO or Area
Commander and you just sit in your
office without wanting to see these rank
and files that are under you is over. If
they are not there, who will do the
work? If any of your men is sick, you
must go to the hospital to see them.
You can’t continue to live in the past.
People service and protect you and you
do not regard them . If they were your
children, won’t you protect them?
Dedication to duty
hat I expect from all officers is
dedication, commitment and
fairness to all. Take note. Imagine, a
chief or an Alhaji will come and see
you and you will open your door . But
a constable who is your own colleague
must not see you . Why? All this must
stop. The era of a constable or an
Inspector not reporting to duty and you
get them arrested and dismissed is
over. Have you sent signal to find out
where he is ? You have not found out
if he is sick or not . You must be compassionate to your colleagues. If you
dismiss that constable, has it solved
the problem or increased it? (the crowd
responded, it has increased it). Also,

W

DPO’s and CPs must approve leave and
casual leave for the rank and file . Allow them go on leave because you
can’t get the best from them if you allow
them to work for too long.
Era of bribery and corruption over
Those of you who who demand for
returns from your men, any officer
caught, I swear to God , I will dismiss
you and ensure you go to court because you are subjected to the laws of
the police and true laws. Members of
the rank and file, stop being agents of
corruption . Any officer who ask you
for money , let him use his own mouth,
hand and leg to collect it because if
you are caught, you must tell us who
sent you . Some of you are foolish .
How can you go and collect N10,000
for instance and give it to your Oga
and he gives you N1000 and when
caught and you are asked who sent you
and you say nobody, is that not
foolishness?
Mobile Squad’s commander
To those of you that are mobile
commanders, any time you send your
men on duty , you should not review
their allowances . It should be paid
directly to them. Leaders should leave
a good example. To the Area Commanders and DPOs, check yourselves.
You know yourselves.
pparently irked by the
unprintable names members of
the public had tagged policemen who
are always seen extorting money
openly, the IGP sought the consent of
the men and officers present to pray
against corrupt policemen. This was
done and he continued by placing a
curse on any policeman who indulges
in corrupt practices. According to him,
“ Those who are corrupt, if you buy
houses with such money, it will catch
fire . If you buy Kabukabu , it will be
involved in an accident. May Almighty
God punish and expose any officer who
is corrupt and not ready to change.
Amen. (But I did not hear your amen,
he intoned)

Tumultuous
to Lagos State

A

Era of CP monopolizing Police
Cooperative is over
I have directed that the cooperative
society should go back to what it used
to be. We are no longer going to
contract it out . I have also directed that
any policeman who has an account with
the cooperative society must be paid
interest. CPs that use to have the power to use the cooperative funds should
know that it is all over.
Police mortgage bank inaugurated
We have inaugurated Police
mortgage bank where officers can go
and get loans to build houses,
including retired officers. Every
policeman, from Constable upwards is
entitled to apply for loan.
Already, we have spent N250 million
for the purchase of property. After its
completion, interested policemen will
buy with the loan they will get from
the Police mortgage bank. The first
phase of completion
is the
accommodation at Idimu and they
will be located to interested policemen. But we will start with the rank
and file first.
Era of attacking police stations
over
The era of attacking police stations

or government buildings is over. Anybody who attacks it is a dead man. It
will not happen during my own time.
If anybody has the courage to do so,
you must defend your self and the

government of the day. We can’t take
lawlessness again. Era of people harassing citizens is over . The police stations, area commands and police headquarters are public places where peo-

Furore over

…As middle-aged randy man
refusing him sex
By ALBERT AKPOR

P

ERHAPS, if Ben Bruce, President
of the Silver Bird group and
organizer of the Most Beautiful Girl
MBG had started the pageant much
earlier, Mrs Ebere Ogbonna would
have clinched the coveted crown. An
elegantly built lady with a captivating
ebony black sparkling skin, Eby, as she
is fondly called by her friends and
acquaintances, still radiates her
youthful beauty notwithstanding her
present economic status and the trauma
of having to cater for her 9 children all
alone. She had lost her loving husband
years back but refused to be daunted
by his death. She was determined to

make something out of nothing and
ensure that she gives her children the
best life could offer. Even at the slum
of of Ilaje Otumara, Iponri Lagos where
she lives with her nine boys, Ebere
remains the cynosure of many eyes.
Many men had approached her for a
relationship, but the virtuous Ebere
remained resolute, turning down all
sexual advances. At each gesture, she
was reported to have turned down the
offers insisting that she would never
do anything capable of invoking the
wrath of her late husband. But one
diehard sex-starved, middle-aged man
identified as Monday Ekpo, would not
take no for an answer and would stop
at nothing to lay the Anambra stateborn struggling mother. When all his
overtures seemed to have failed, Ekpo,

Vanguard, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012 — 45

ovation welcomes IGP
•reel out packages for
members of the force,
•breaks protocol to exchange banters
with friends and well-wishers
be with it. You are supposed to assist
the aged, children and the needy. The
era of you harassing journalists is over
. They have their constitutional responsibility and have the right to do
it. The era of police drivers with senior officers driving against the traffic
is over. If you are caught, it may cause
you dismissal as the enforcer of the
law. You must also be respecter of the
law.
Federal High way Patrol
t this point , he warned the men
and officers to stick to their
constitutional responsibility while on
duty. For instance, he reminded them
that their responsibility did not include
checking particulars but to help
accident victims and clear any likely
debris. Disclosing a personal encounter with some policemen on high way
patrol, he said , “ Yesterday, (Sunday)
I went to Nasarawa, a high way patrol
team stopped my car and requested
to check the car particulars. But I ended up checking him instead. Why are
we harassing our own people and you
expect them to trust you?. You wear
poverty on your face 24/7 and when
any one asks you, you say it is hunger.
But it is only when you are contended
with what God has given you that he
will give you more. You must accept

A

ple are allowed to go . So, policemen
who harass or molest people should
take note because you will be liable.
There is a code of conduct this administration has put in place and you must

first that Mr President is very passionate and willing to help the police but
we must all show commitment.
Police training
have declared a state of emergency
on police institutes. For instance,
the Police College, Ikeja is in a bad
shape. A college where officers sleep
on the floor and without light. What
can you teach him when the
atmosphere is not conducive for him?
That, my administration is changing.
The Kaduna college will start in June
this year. Already, we have gotten
companies who have agreed to do the
renovation for free.
Police University
The president has given order for the
Police university to start come
September this year to only those
interested.
Fail three times, be dismissed
One vital area of complaint by some
policemen is that of promotion. While
some alleged it is done on favouritism, others argued that they were being victimized. Their claim may partially not be wrong as investigation has
shown that there are yawning
differences in the rank of some course
mates, a development that has brought
about bad blood and also demoralized
the affected policemen. In order to

I

missing teeth
parlor. However, sympathizers who
went to rescue Mrs Ogbonna later
reported the matter at the nearby Iponri
Division and Ekpo was picked up.

A

t the station, Ekpo was said to
have allegedly boasted that even
the police would not do him anything
saying that even the Investigating
Police Officer IPO (names withheld)
was in his pay roll. And true to that,
Ekpo who was detained after he made
statement under caution was released
moments afterwards. He was said to
have rushed to the residence of Mrs
Ogbonna to threaten her the more.
This elicited more fears on the
defenseless widow and her children as
they wailed uncontrollably.
In the mean time, an unnamed

POSTSCRIPT

A

fter spending nearly the whole
day addressing officers and men
of the force, including civilians and
journalists, that thronged the Command
headquarters in Ikeja, the Police boss
quickly hopped into his official car,
rushing to the Police Officer’s mess,
GRA, Ikeja, this time, to address other
stakeholders who have patiently waited
for him. Incidentally, before his convoy
got to the major road linking Arch Bishop Vinning Cathedral with GRA, he saw
two crime reporters including yours sincerely, walking towards their cars packed
distantly near the High Court and to the
shock of both reporters and to many other
passersby, he ordered his driver to stop
very close to the pavement where the reporters were busy trekking. The jeep
then slowly snaked very close to the pavement and alas, the back windows were
wound down, only for the IGP to stop and
start exchanging banters with the reporters. This lasted for few minutes but it was
incredibly like hours, going by the number of cars that screeched to abrupt halt
and the reaction of battle-ready policemen who, in amazement, wondered why
protocol was brazenly broken by their boss.
Banters over, the IGP sped off and the elated reporters and crowd that gathered
went wild in jubilation, praising him for
that simplicity.

and I have been struggling to fend for
my nine boys. I had twins three times
and since their father died, I have been
catering for them . Sometime last year,
Monday asked me to date him but I
refused. On almost three occasions,
he attempted to rape me in my one
room apartment. We are neighbours,
he was bent on sleeping with me but I
told him I was not interested. This
angered him and he told me he will
make my life miserable.”

batters mother of 9 for

said to be popular in the slum for his
alleged notoriety, reverted to the crude
option of battery to achieve his
unguided ambition. He therefore,
waited patiently one evening when
Ebere’s kids were all out playing. He
sneaked into the one-bed room
apartment and attempted to forcefully
have sex with her. But his bid was
thwarted as Ebere was said to have put
up a strong fight against the sinister
motive. However, she soon became
tired as she could not match the
muscular Ekpo who pinned her to the
floor and dealt several blows on her
for not being able to penetrate her. The
helpless woman bled profusely while
shouting for help. Sensing danger,
Ekpo who was at the time dissatisfied,
bolted from the room to a nearby beer

address this, promotion examinations
must be passed before any officer goes
to the next rank. I will not promote
anybody who cannot pass his exams.
The year of policemen who cannot
read or write is over. If you go for
your promotion course , you must
pass the exam . If you fail it, the first
time, we will warn you. If you fail the
second time, we write you, informing
you to wake up from your slumber and
if you fail the third time , then, you
either go on your own or we will send
you out of the Force. Nobody will be
spared. Not even the Assistant Inspectors-General of Police who are undergoing a course at the Center for Management Development (CMD), Shangisha. We are basing our promotion on
merit.

•The victim, Ebere Ogbonna
prominent resident of the area was
said to have taken the matter personal, drove to the X-Squad of the police
and reported the matter. The man did
not stop at that, he was said to have
gone to the office of the Commissioner of Police and narrated the widow’s
ordeal following which both Ekpo and
the unnamed IPO were arrested. Narrating her ordeal, Mrs Ogbonna said,
“I lost my husband some years back

Continuing, she said, “So, on April 5
2012, I attended a friend’s child naming
ceremony . Monday was there and he attacked me saying that he was the chairman and I should leave the occasion. He
even openly pushed and shoved me out of
the room and as I resisted him , he slapped
me on the face. I went to report him to the
elders in the community and and they
called him to warn him from assaulting
me. Later that evening, he came pretending to have come to apologize and
even at that, he tried to force himself on
me but I refused and he got angrier and
punched me on my mouth. I was rushed
again to a nearby hospital where I was
admitted.”

46—SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012

Jonathan One yr after:

Okotie rues stagnation
BY ISHOLA BALOGUN

,

I

n just few days, the PDP and some
state governors would mark their
first year in power. How has the
journey been? The ruling elite, not
having much to offer after getting power, continue politicking even when the
elections are over. So, one is not surprised that the present unwarranted
debate over where the 2015 presidency should go, has predictably over
heated the polity, not minding the fact
that some of the elected officials have
hung verdicts that are still being resolved in election tribunals across the
country, twelve months after the elections.
In fact, only recently, some elections
were overturned, requiring re-runs to
fill the vacant offices. Some Governorship elections are due in a couple of
months in states like Edo and Ondo.
Even these, would create their own
electioneering tensions and the losers are likely to head for the tribunals
to get legal redress.
With the way our election calendar
is structured, we are likely to be having perpetual tension-soaked political
atmosphere in between elections. Coupled with the usual violence that mar
the process, we can hardly have a settled polity. Reflecting on the first anniversary of this government, Prince
of Nigeria, and Chairman, Fresh Democratic Party, FRESH, Rev. Chris Okotie, told party faithfuls during the week
that the entire political process is in
dire need of a clean out.
“We’ve been doing things the same
way as far as our politics is concerned,
so we’re bound to have the same result”, Okotie said, explaining the
present stagnation. What he found particularly irksome, he said, is the
present agitation over the 2015 elections, when the dust of the last one is
yet to settle. The insensitivity of the
Nigerian politician to the pervading
misery in the land is appalling.
“These people couldn’t care less.
They want power for power sake.
That’s why, having won the elections,
so to speak, they can’t perform”, the
Prince lamented as he pointed out
that there’s really nothing on ground
to celebrate. For stakeholders like
Okotie, where the shoe pinches most,
is the nonchalance of our governing
cabal. They are clueless regarding the
way forward for our economy.
Federal government officials are flattered by the 7.1 % growth of our economy which is ranked as one of the fastest in the world, but we’ve not seen
that growth translate into high living
standard for our citizens, like is the
case with other countries. Flaunting
paper growth will do nobody any
good unless the macro-economic impact is fully felt by most Nigerians.
Twelve months of the present PDP
administration has not brought the
desired positive change that the voters eagerly expect when they were

A short-term programme of rehabilitation and development for the poorest
regions of the north
where the Boko
Haram groups are
based should be set
up by the federal
government

,

inundated with the slogan, “Good luck
for me, good luck for everybody”! The
luck seems, in reality, to be for a few
venal rich who are in the ruling
clique.

R

ev Okotie said he decided not to
be too critical of the President
initially, to give him time to settle
down considering the controversy
that heralded his administration due
to the storm of his emergence as the
PDP presidential candidate. “Moreover, he received his first baptism of
fire with the Independence Day bombing, which jolted the entire nation because it was unprecedented. Then, for
the first time the suicide bombings
came on”, he said.
That’s quite thoughtful, one may say.
In fact, Okotie rightly earns the admiration of those who see him as the
new face of Nigerian politics. His level-headed politics and statesman-like
approach to national issues justifies
his Prince of Nigeria title. Refreshing
as it is that the Reverend’s temperate
politics could douse the present ten-

z Rev

Okotie

sion in the polity, he cannot, but be
surprised that there’s no visible impact of governance at all levels. “Our
democracy is on trial”, he said.
here’re so many unresolved is
“
sues. Boko Haram continues to
waste precious human lives; now,
some northern politicians are still bitter over the outcome of the 2011 elections, with some threatening a violent
resistance if the 2015 polls are rigged.
This is bad news for our democracy.
And the bad news extends to every
sector of our national life. President
Jonathan can not point to anything tangible he has done since he came to
power last year. In fact, he appears to
be struggling to assert his presidency.
“Twelve months is a long probation
for any president to prove himself on
the job. And for someone like
Jonathan who has been in the corridors of power for more than a decade,
governance ought to be a familiar terrain. He has no excuse not to perform.
What he needs to do now is to device
an effective strategy to contain the
Boko Haram. He can do this by deploying more efforts in intelligence
operation which should aim at destroying the terrorist’s operational
bases and blocking their supply lines.
Their financial backers and sponsors
can also be identified. With the help
of foreign intelligence organizations,
these guys can be apprehended. Also,
genuine efforts should be made by the
northern governors to dialogue with
the group, along with federal govern-

T

ment officials.
“ More importantly, a short-term
programme of rehabilitation and development for the poorest regions of
the north where the Boko Haram
groups are based should be set up by
the federal government. A general
amnesty and micro-lending facilities
for small scale agri-business and the
Almajiri/nomadic education could be
a part of a total package the government could offer the Boko Haram in
exchange for disarmament and an end
to the campaign.
“ Jonathan has to find a way to create a secure atmosphere for local and
direct foreign investment if his Transformation Agenda is ever to get off the
ground. No economy can run on generators. The energy crisis, therefore,
should be the core project in any realistic economic reform programme.
If power is stable, it impacts all other
sectors directly and the ripple effect
will translate into macro-economic
growth because the manufacturing sector which spends almost 30 percent of
its product cost on power generators,
will regain its competitive edge
against cheap imports from Asia.
“ Small and medium scale enterprises are the engine of economic growth.
And they are the worst hit by the power deficit. If government can provide
power, and succeeds in repositioning
the capital market to create confidence
in institutional investors, our economy would be back on track. A genuine basis for transformation would have
been laid. That’s when Jonathan’s luck
can be good for Nigerians.”

The Fourth Republic has failed, says Sagay
Continued from page 14
difference. There had to be qualitative change in personnel. The quality
of political elites has to improve. They
must be cultured and endowed with
integrity of honour.
Appraisal of INEC
he Professor Jega’s Independent
National Electoral Commission is
an improvement but he still has a long
way to go. The major problem of INEC
has to do with its commissioners and
facilities at the headquarters. Presently, INEC has no system of vetting re-

T

sults coming in from the states. Therefore, for INEC to function properly, it
must have a system of vetting, monitoring and rejecting results. The results of that was that whilst elections
went fairly well in the South West and
most of the North, those of South
South and South East produced outrageous election result.
I was surprised Jega approved those
results. South South had never produced any credible election result in
this country. The rigging coming from
the South South usually emanates
from the riverine areas. Jega should
put in place a mechanism that would

checkmate electoral fraud, particularly in the South South and South East.
Also, Jega should not allow any local
Resident Electoral Officer to announce
result because most o them are very
corrupt.
They can be easily bought by states
government. Before results are declare, they must satisfy certain parameters and if they are not consistent with those parameters, the results should be rejected and fresh election announced. This is the only way
Jega can come out of 2015 with credibility.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012—47

It is wasted years
—Ezekiel Oguguom ( Artisan)

T

There is no
improvement
—Peter Oyibanji (Business man)

S

ince the handover to civil rule by
the military in Nigeria in 1999,
there has never been any improvement
in the country. I see the handover as
an opportunity for the country to develop in all sectors of the government,
but it seems as if the military rule is
now better than the civil rule. The opportunity of development was not utilized because of partisan politics. The
C
M
Y
K

•Ezekiel Oguguom

•Sunday Oluwole

•Peter Oyibanji

We have achieved nothing in the
past 13years — Say Nigerians
By ANOZIE EGOLE

Nigerians from different walks of life have assessed democracy in the country for the past
13years now, starting from 1999 till date, with the consensus that nothing much had been
achieved so far. Some people were even suggesting that it is better we go back to military rule
than this democracy in the sense that there is high rate of corruption in the country now with
democracy than the military rule. Here are some of the views they shared with SATURDAY
VANGUARD
party in power has not been able to
develop the country. They are coming
together instead of them to use this democracy to develop the country; they
are using their own democracy to legalize corruption and to enrich themselves. Because of this, Nigeria has not
been able to move forward. Instead,
what we are recording is under-development. Everybody is emphasizing on
the improvement on telecommunication, but if you look at the level of Nigeria in Africa and in West Africa generally, we are supposed to have improved more than where we are now
as far as telecommunication is concerned. We are supposed to be a leader
in Africa by action and not by mouth,
but if you check the development in
South-Africa, Ghana, I’vory-Coast,
you will see that these countries are
far better than Nigeria. We are just
answering the giant of Africa by
mouth and not by action.
If I am asked to score Jonathan’s
administration, I will score him low,
like 35%. This is because even the
progress Obasanjo’s administration
has made in the country’s foreign reserve, Jonathan cannot account for it.
Just for the few years that Jonathan
has been in power, there is no money
again in our foreign reserve. All he
does is to continue to borrow. The minister of finance keeps on warning the
country that our reserve is going down
on a daily basis, where are all those
money going to, what are they using
them for? On the 1st of June this year,

government to have the fear of God
and have pity on the poor masses who
voted them in.

,

o me, I see the 13years of democ
racy as wasted years in the sense
that, we have not been able to achieve
anything for that number of years.
Compared to the problems we still have
in the government especially, in the
area of corruption which is on increase
on a daily basis, I do not think democracy has yielded anything good to Nigeria. Though in recent times, the federal government has involved themselves in road rehabilitation. Like the
Oshodi-Apapa expressway that is being rehabilitated by the federal government. Before now, if I want to travel to Edo State, it is usually like a
nightmare to me because of the type
of potholes you will see on the highway. It can even take you more than
four hours to get to Benin. But to my
greatest surprise, when I traveled for
last Christmas, there is improvement
on the road. So I give the present administration kudos for that. Secondly,
with the introduction of 150 buses recently by the federal government, I can
say that they are trying in the aspect
of transportation.
Where I will score the government very low is in the area of fighting corruption. In this aspect, the government has not really done something justifiable. Just like the petroleum subsidy report, why has the government failed to punish the cabals?
The government should try and do
something in order not to disappoint
the people that voted them in. Ever
since the inception of democracy, there
has never been any improvement in
areas like, power, water, security, corruption etc. I think in the area of corruption, Obasanjo’s administration was
the most corrupt. It was his administration that introduced EFCC, but nobody was jailed by EFCC during his
tenure. But amidst all these challenges, I still know that Ya’Ardua/
Jonathan’s administration would have
been the best democratic administration Nigeria has experienced if not that
the cold hands of death cut it short with
the death of Y’ardua.
Presently, if I should score Goodluck
Jonathan’s administration, I will score
him 51%. I score him that just because
he has not really done anything to corruption and security but he has tried
in the area of transportation, education and agricultural sector. But I advise him to wake up from sleep and
take the bull by the horn. Let him do
what he is supposed to do. I know
Jonathan is a nice president but the
forces around him wouldn’t allow him
to do his work.

If I should score
Goodluck Jonathan’s
administration, I will
score him 51%. I score
him that just because
he has not really done
anything to corruption and security

,

they are planning to increase the power tariff, where is the light? You see,
there is no light and they want to increase the bill. The subsidy cabals
which Jonathan promised to deal
with, we have not heard from them
and the money realized from the removal of subsidy, we have not heard
about that since then. It’s just that our
leaders do not have physical gun, but
the looting they are doing is worse
than the physical gun. Now, I heard
over the television that another body
wants to break up from the Nigerian
Labour Congress just like TUC in those
days and who are the brain behind this
if not government? I will advise the

We have nothing
to show for in
democracy
—Sunday Oluwole(Civil Servant)

I

f you want to be honest in the real
sense of it, you will find out that
we have not gained anything from democracy since its inception in 1999.
Why I am saying that democracy has
not achieved anything in Nigeria since
1999 is that, it is only the elites who
enjoy democracy here and the common
man in the street does not know what
democracy is all about. It is not supposed to be so if really it has achieved
anything in the country.
Jonathan’s administration has not
really done anything in the sense that
the poor are getting poorer and the
rich richer.This is not supposed to be.
In other words, his administration can
be said to be one sided. Why I think
Obasanjo’s administration was better
is that, Obasanjo having military experience gets whatever he wants at
any point in time. But Jonathan is a
little bit slow in implementing laws. I
pray he wakes up to tackle this menace of insecurity in the country.

48 — SATURDAY Vanguard MAY 26, 2012

• Justice Salami

O

NE of the wise sayings
that never fails to in
trigue me, is the tale
about the tortoise, that was
picked up by a superior force,
he begged his captor to allow
him a minute of freedom. When
this was granted, the tortoise
on being let down, went about
unearthing and scattering the
bushes around. After he was
done, he told his captor to carry on with his captivity. The
astonished captor asked the
reason for the action, the tortoise replied, that at least passersby will notice that two
strong powers fought in that
place. When two elephants
fight the ground suffers, is a
current saying, the testimony of it is the current bashing
of the Nigerian legal system
thanks to Justice Isa Ayo Salami and Justice Katsina-Alu.
(Rtd).
A minor misunderstanding
between two erudite jurists,
sitting comfortably at the
apex of the Nigerian Judicial
System, Justice Aloysius
Katsina Alu, former Chief
Justice of Nigeria and Justice Isa Ayo Salami suspended president of the Court of
Appeal has become a huge
entanglement dragging to
the abyss the whole judicial
system.
The brickbats between this
two over the outcome of governorship cases during the
2007 general elections in Ekiti, Osun and Sokoto States led
to the suspension of the PCA
and divided the bench and
bar into pro Salami and Pro
Katsina-Alu lines. The division
did not stop there, the matter
has become political with Peo-

Jonathan and the Salami
Conundrum
ples Democratic Party (PDP)
and Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) at each others jocular. It also raised ethical questions, on the integrity of the
bench. At the moment the dust
raised before and after August
18th 2011 suspension of Justice Salami has not settled, in-

,

BY IBRAHIM LAWAL

•President Goodluck Jonathan

Is it not commonsensical
for the president to be
cautious and wait for the
outcome of these court
proceedings before taking
decision on the matter

stead, a huge mudslide is on
the way courtesy of the recommended re-instatement of the
same Justice Salami. More
worrisome is the latest attempt
by ACN and the South West to
localize the Salamic issue. A
pure legal matter has been
thrown to market women and
Okada riders to adjudicate.

T

adjudication? Well, it is not entirely an unfamiliar picture and
it is aimed at arm twisting the
presidency into re-instating
Justice Salami despite legal
obstacles. According to the so
called protesters, the president
should re-instate salami immediately.

he reported protest in
Ado Ekiti by thousands
of members of Okada Riders Association, National Union of
Road Transport Workers, (Agberos) Market Woman and Youth
Groups calls for concern by fair
minded Nigerians. The question is who organized this motley of faces and to what end?
When has a purely legal matter
become subject for motor park

manding for hasty recall of Ayo
Salami that, fairness demands
they listen also to the explanations from Aso Rock. President
Jonathan cannot act on hear
say, since the letter from NJC
recommending Justice Salami’s re-instatement has not
even reached the presidency,
on what authority then do
they want him to recall the jurist.

A

,

Well, South West ACN governors have a right to press their
demand using whatever means
that catch their fancy, but, must
they in doing so force the president, indeed all Nigerians to
agree with them.
Justice Salami’s recall like his
suspension instead of being
normal administrative matter is
fast turning a Kiriji war and
these people would want President Jonathan, a man who believes in the rule of law and due
process to act on hear say or
even do the unthinkable by committing contempt of court.
The presidency because of the
nature of the office has not taken to the pages of the newspapers in this case, but it is timely to remind those who are de-

gain, at the last count
over two cases were instituted against Salami’s reinstatement. It is on record that
an Abuja High Court is entertaining a matter restraining
President Jonathan from recalling the judge. One Barr
Noah Ajare is seeking the
court to even declare the meetings, decisions and recommendations for the re-instatement of Justice Salami by NJC
illegal. Also the same Salami
had gone to court on his suspension through his lawyer
Chief Akin Olujimi SAN. Is it
not commonsensical for the
president to be cautious and
wait for the outcome of these
court proceedings before taking decision on the matter.
The transformation agenda
of President Goodluck
Jonathan is strongly hinged
on due process and rule of law,
and the Salamigate in now a
testcase. The president must
not take hasty decision on this
issue which will later draw
flanks and pet the presidency
with tar.

T

he bane of Nigerian
brand of politics is that it
has succeeded in eroding our
collective morality. Nothing is
sacrosanct any more, not even
the rule of law. And this is why
somebody is urging the president to act on a matter that is
pending in court. Yes, President
Goodluck Jonathan is the leader
of PDP but the office of the president belongs to all Nigerians
and not PDP alone. The Salami
distraction must not be politicized, ACN must not allow the
jurist’s re-call die on the alter of
politics, because the growth of
law in the country will be negatively imparked upon. The president has taken the positive route
paved by the rule of law and due
process, therefore, the rascality
of rented protesters should stop.
ACN and it’s supporters, should
stop denting the course of Salami’s Justice with unnecessary
media war. I don’t think Salami
saw it coming if he did, he would
not have allowed his innocent
looking love letter to Justice
Aloysius leak out to the jackals
in the press room.
My advice is that he should
discourage the current propaganda and allow the president
take action on the recommendations of NJC.
PDP and ACN have little to
loose in this matter. The man
who has much riding on the
issue is Justice Salami and also
the judiciary in Nigeria.

•Ibrahim Lawal
Writes from Ogun State.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012—49

I

f Sekinat Emiola had
known that an extramarital affair she was was
having
with
Asimiyu
Ayantayo who lives at Oke
Aremo Ibadan could lead to
her death, she needed nobody
to warn her to exercise some
restraint.
She left her four children
with a message that after she
finished her business at
Eleyele, she would have a
stop over in the residence of
Asimiyu before coming back
home.
Unknown to her, she was
saying the last farewell to her
children. She never knew that
all the dreams she had at the
beginning of the year would
crash like a pack of cards.
At Eleyele state police
headquarters, all her former
friends when she was alive
could not stand by her. It
was not that they hated her
but it was because of the
stench that was oozing out of
her severed head and two
hands. No thanks to her
‘lover’ who thought it was not
necessary she lived so far he
can have his way. All
sympathisers who thronged
the police headquarters had
to cover their nostrils so that
they would not inhale the
odour that had taken over
the entire spacious premises.
A policeman nearly betrayed
his emotion when he saw the
gory picture of the severed
head of late Sekinat.
One of the children of the
slain woman, Kausarat
Sekinatu who had the guts to
see the head of her onceloving mum was stunned to
speechlessness with the
horror before her. She never
imagined that another mortal
man could display such a
level
of
wickedness.
Unfortunately, all these
could not revive her mother
whose remains were packed
into a bag.
The
two
suspects
including a vulcanizer
looked unperturbed. One of
them who was said to be the
prime suspect, perhaps,
underestimated the evil he
was alleged to have done as
he was covering his nose and
spitting intermittently as a
result of the odour.
When asked how he
committed the heinous act,
the suspect confessed that
Sekinat was his concubine
and that they have been in a
love affair for quite some
time but he denied killing
her.He said that on that
fateful day, Sekinat came to
visit him at Oke Aremo and
they had sexual intercourse.
But, after the intercourse, the
woman died. “I knew that she
had been laced with a killer
charm popularly called
Magun in Yorubaland and
that any man who had sex
with her would die. I

How adultery led
woman to early grave

Mutiu, victim’s brother

Kausarat Sekinatu : Daughter of the victim

,

OLA AJAYI,IBADAN

When asked how he
committed the heinous act,
the suspect confessed that
Sekinat was his concubine
and that they have been in
love affairs for quite some
time but he denied killing
her

,

contacted magun on her
during love-making. She
wanted to summersault but
I prevented her. Then, she
started foaming after the act
and fell down from the chair
and died. I then decided to
cut off her head and her two
hands so that nobody would
recognize her. I then sent this
man to buy a nylon bag for
me so that I could put the
body there.
“At night, this man, Isiaka
Akanbi helped me put sack on
my head and we went and
buried it at the cemetery. But
the head and the two hands,
I buried at the backyard of
my house”.
The second suspect,
Akanbi said, “He just sent for
me and gave me N400 to buy
a sack for him. He is a big
brother
in
the
neighbourhood. I went and

returned with both the sack
and N70 balance. I didn’t
know what he wanted to do
with the sack. The following
morning, he asked me to
enter into a covenant. I asked
him why we needed to go into
a covenant and he said he
wanted to show me the
mystery of the world. I was
surprised. He then asked me
to drink the concoction he
brought and I declined.
Then, he asked me to taste it
with the tip of my tongue
which I did. He asked me to
follow him to his house and I
did.
After
a
brief
conversation, he asked me to
come and see something.
When I saw it, I screamed!
Then he said: “You are seeing
the mystery of the world.
Make sure you tell nobody.
Otherwise, you will die. I said
that police must hear this and

he said I would die. Then, he
took me to the graveyard,
dug a shallow grave and
buried the parts. I knew the
woman very well. I knew
them as lovers.”
How the bubble burst.
Saturday
Vanguard
gathered that a boy living in
the same house with the
suspect heard the cry of that
woman. In curiosity, he
peeped through the keyhole
of the door and saw the man
using a cutlass to severe the
head of the woman. The boy
went unnoticed. After, he was
discussing with his mates that
the suspect was heartless as
he saw him cutting the head
of the woman. Incidentally, a
security man was standing
close by and arrested the boy
that he should lead him to
where he saw the suspect. He
was immediately arrested.
The daughter of the
deceased, Kausara told
Saturday Vanguard that she
did
not
know
the
whereabouts of her mother.
But, it was her brother that
called her only to discover
that their mum had been
killed.
The brother of the
deceased, Mutiu Emiola, a
mechanic at Lagos called on
the security agents to ensure
that the life of the suspect was
not spared.
He said, “On that day, my
sister told one of her children
that she was going to the
market at Eleyele because she

sells ewedu(vegetable) and
that on her way she would
detour to the house of
Asimiyu. She did not come
back home. And on that
Thursday, Asimiyu told one of
his children that he wanted to
travel to Ijebu but did not
disclose what he wanted to do
there. We looked for my sister
for two days not knowing she
had been killed.
The police commissioner in
the state, Mr. Tambari
Mohammed, insisted that
Ayantayo killed the deceased,
but the suspect claimed that
he beheaded her after she fell
down from a chair and died.
But, to prove that he was
hiding some facts, he gave
another reason saying he
killed her to save his own life
because somebody has to die
once magun is at work.
Whatever is done to the
suspects for the murderous
act, the bottom line is that
Sekinat is dead and can never
come back to life again.

Corrigendum
The story has been
published before but the
above photographs were
wrongly captioned as the
‘woman’ and the victim.
The correct caption is
Mutiu,the woman’s brother
and her daughter,not the
suspect and victim. The
error is regretted—Editor
C
M
Y
K

50—SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012

EDO GUBER:

Oshiomhole takes state by
storm as campaign train
moves around local govts

F

or the past two months,
campaigns in Edo
State have been the
major activity from those who
are aspiring to govern the
State. From the North to the
South and to Edo Central, it
has been beehive of political
activities across the length and
breadth of the State as
Governor Adams Oshiomhole
and his campaign train
present his scorecard to the
people of Edo State and thus
re-emphasizing the need for
the people to give him a
second term of office. The
campaigns have been full of
political jabs and innuendos
directed at certain quarters in
a bid to undo one another in
what seems to be a clear fight
between the ruling Party ACN
and the opposition PDP. Both
parties have been engrossed
in a long battle of supremacy
with the Action Congress of
Nigeria insisting that the PDP
has nothing to show for its
federalist status. While there
have been series of crises in
the State as a result of the
altercations between the PDP
and ACN, political observers
are looking forward to July 14,
2012 when the people will go
into the real election to choose
who becomes their Governor
for the next four years.
Governor Oshiomhole has
been going from one Local
Government to another in his
campaign effort to woo the Edo
electorates for the July 14
election and expectedly the
campaigns have provided him
opportunity to showcase his
achievements in the last three
and a half years. Basking on
the euphoria of his numerous
achievements and relying
heavily on the strength of his
political party, Oshiomhole
has assured Edo electorates
that if given another
opportunity to lead the State,
he would consolidate on his
overwhelming achievements
of his first term. According to
him, “the people of the State
deserve good governance and
accountable leadership. We
will not rest on our oars
because we must fulfill our
promises to the people. We
cannot afford to join others in
telling lies and deceiving
people. It is our duty to
adequately inform the people,
present our scorecard, and ask

for their mandate to continue
the good work we have been
doing in the last three years”,
he declared, amid a
tumultuous
crowd
at
Agenebode, where over 1,000
PDP members led by Chief
Francis Alimikhena publicly
joined the Action Congress of
Nigeria.
ISSUE-BASED
CAMPAIGNS?
shiomhole
in his
campaigns dwells on
issues that would help move
the State forward. Reeling out
several items from his list of
achievements, the Governor
has used every opportunity to
inform the people about his
achievements and what he
intends to do in the next four
years if given the nod. At Jattu
area of the Edo North
Senatorial District where tens
of thousands of Action
Congress of Nigeria supporters came out to receive him, it
was some kind of home coming
for the Governor who assured
the people that his second
term would be better than his
first term; “our second coming
would be better than our first
term. What we have been able
to achieve in our first term is
to lay the foundation by
building the basic infrastructure that our people need for
their day to day activities. In

O

,

BY CHIOMA GABRIEL

achievements of the Governor
are the renovation and
rebuilding of almost 140
schools approximating about
1, 550 classrooms in the State,
the control of erosion danger
in Benin City and its
metropolis in the multi-billion
naira Edo Storm Water project,
rural electrification in most of
the rural communities, rural
water supply through
borehole projects, provision of
healthcare service delivery in
all the Local Government Areas, and several other areas
that have received attention in
the past three years. Other
achievements include the
employment of over 15,000
youths and the creation of an
e-payment system that has
saved the State a lot of
wastages in the area of ghost
workers, as well as the
compliance to due process and
procurement laws in the
execution of contracts.
Oshiomhole told an ecstatic
crowd at Benin City that rather
than deploy the resources of
the State in furthering the nest
of political godfathers, such
income has been deployed in
the provision of infrastructural
development of the State.
Some political observers who
spoke to Saturday Vanguard
expressed concern over the
spate of political crises in the
State, saying such atmosphere

Oshiomhole has assured Edo
electorates that if given another
opportunity to lead the State, he
would consolidate on his
overwhelming achievements of
his first term

our second term, we will add
value to human existence by
providing
additional
employment for our teeming
youths and making sure that
our aged people are
adequately catered for. We will
not relent in our effort to
creating opportunities for our
people so that they can make
meaning out of life. Our
people have suffered neglect
for a long time; hence we will
do anything humanly possible
to make sure that we give
them improved services as
steward of the people”.
Among
the
several

,

of uncertainty can prevent the
electorates from coming out to
express their choice come July
14. According to political
pundits, the political atmosphere in Edo State is fully
charged and as such capable
of breeding further crisis if
appropriate security measures
are not put in place. “People
are generally apprehensive
about the elections because of
the politically motivated
killings in the State. The
Governor lost his Principal
Private Secretary to the cold
hands of death by unknown
gun men while the Governor’s

* Dignitaries at Oshiomhole's campaign

* Oshiomhole's campaign train

Gov Oshiomhole, 2nd left, during his campaign

own convoy was involved in
an accident in very curious
circumstances. We are
watching as keen political
observers even though we
know the Comrade Governor
to be enjoying tremendous
popularity ”,
enthused
Goodluck Aigbe, a politician
from Edo South Senatorial
District.
THE BLAME GAME.
t has been a game of
blame and counter blame
between members of the PDP
and the Action Congress of
Nigeria in the build up to the
July 14, 2012 election. While
the PDP reportedly petitioned
the Chairman of the
Independent
National
Electoral Commission over the
use of what it described as
“foul language” of the
Governor, the Action Congress
of Nigeria has also at various
times petitioned INEC over
the shoddy manner the voters
registration exercise was
taking place. The INEC
decidedly jettisoned the voters
registration exercise over what
it considered as “ weighty
allegations” against the
conduct of the exercise. The
Chairman of the Commission,

I

Professor Atahiru Jega while
addressing news men
penultimate week, told the
nation that the exercise would
commence later in the year
after the July 14, election.
Before the postponement, the
Action Congress of Nigeria
had led a protest march to the
State office of the INEC to
register its displeasure over it
termed as “irregular” conduct
of the INEC on the issue of
voters registration exercise.
The protest which was led by
Governor Oshiomhole himself
and thousands of his party
members closed down
business activities around
Aduwawa area of Benin City
where the office of INEC is
located. While the protest
lasted, INEC had to suspend
its activities on that day and
later called for a stakeholders
meeting where decision for
the discontinuation of the
voters registration exercise
was taken.
These are part of the sign
and symbols that would be on
display until after the election.
Oshiomhole has continued to
insist that the campaigns for
the elections should be based
on issues in order not to
personalize the campaigns.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012—51

FG is serious with mass
housing, security and
unemployment— Ehinlanwo
enator (Dr) Hosea Oladapo
S
Ehinlanwo, is a two term
senator, who representated Ondo

South District in the upper house
of the country, senate. His
achievements and outstanding
records towards the service of
national development forced
people to re-elect him in 2007.
In this interview with Saturday
Vanguard Business, he first
advised FG to ensure that lands
for mass housing scheme are
allocated to experts and
professionals if we must give FCT
a befitting housing development
as it is in other parts of developed
countries. And most importantly,
our laws must get hold of dubious
and law breakers for us to attract
investors to this land. Excerpts:
Housing development in FCT...
I think it is a welcome
development for FCT. You know
FCT, Abuja municipality is a new
federal capital and where we feel
that Nigeria would be able to
have a show of a befitting federal
capital. And you know that it took
us most of our resources in this
country, a capital city of a
grandfill. In some areas, it took so
many years to develop, but
because of the fast development
we are going through, the ever
growing Nigerian populace
should have put in some years to
develop a beautiful city like this.
And not only a beautiful city, is
because we want to unite Nigeria
because of the different languages
we have in this country. And
since nature has put us together,
we felt that we must have to
develop a city that is befitting and
worth its name. And this is what
we have done in Abuja.
However, if you look at the short
time we used in developing FCT,
it’s amazing in history. It marvels
foreigners who came to Abuja that
within these few years we have
been able to develop a city that
looks like a federal capital that has

Ehinlanwo: Government is ready for investors protection
been existing for hundred years. basis. Therefore, it’s incumbent
Yet that is not the end of it. It’s still on us that we have to look at the
developing and expanding on a situation where we would get
daily basis. And if we now mass development of houses.
envisage that we want to get a
Themasshousingdevelopment
federal capital that would FG initiated during the planning
accommodate all Nigerians far of FCT’s landcape, how effective
and near because we have been is that mass housing
encouraging Nigerians abroad to development today?
come home and apart from that
For me, in the past, I think
also, some people from all the attention had not been given to it
states, from the rural community in the right perspective as a man
they want to come to Abuja either in government. But now we are
to stay permanently or to fortunate to have people and
negotiate business on constant experts who know much about

NSE: IPO window to open for investors
—Onyema

T

he Chief Executive,
Nigerian Stock Exchange,
Oscar Onyema, at the Actis
roundtable discussion on, New
Reform and NSE Listing
Guidelines, told a group of
business leaders in Lagos that
the IPO route would open up
for investors again by the end
of 2012.
The meeting which sought to
provide perspectives on the
practicalities and benefits of
listing on the exchange also
proffers solutions to the current
challenges in NSE since 2008.
In addition, Actis West Africa
CEO, Ngozi Edozien, said that,
in terms of the private equity life
cycle, the most important part

of the equation comes at the
exit, saying further that we must
be able to secure value for our
investors. “At Actis, we look
forward to a time when the
NSE becomes an option to do
that, in addition to the trade sale
route.”
Actis Director, Michael Chu’di
Ejekam, in his contribution
said, there is a recurring theme
amongst business leaders that
the NSE must better engage
with private equity in Nigeria
if we are to capitalise on the
business growth opportunities
of our country – this event was
an important step towards that
direction, he said.
At the meeting, Onyema did

not hesitate to point out among
others, the challenge of limited
liquidity, poor governance
practices and loss of investor
confidence have all contributed
to the current lack of depth in
the capital market since the
financial crisis of 2008. But he
is optimistic that with the current
reforms and guidelines in
place, the IPO window should
be open for business again by
the end of 2012, he said.
The event organised by Actis
was an open window where
stakeholders interact on
business ideas, innovations that
can ensure and encourage
competitiveness in the Nigerian
business environment.

mass development of houses in a
place like Abuja. And we are even
looking beyond Abuja, but it’s
one step after another. It is
necessary because you will see
that after some years, our houses
will be too old to look at as modern
city and government by then will
intend to build modern cities all
over the states. Now we have 36
states and all these states we want
to build examples of cities of
modern time. We are lucky to
have some personnel within this
city that have gone into several
countries of the world and have
seen the type of houses that are
built in those places, and not only
that, they are technocrats on their
own. And what they have seen in
all other countries they want to
bring to Nigeria. That is why
particular attention, motivation,
incentive should be given to
people like Faboro who has been
an expert in building and has
travelled a lot when he was a staff
of World Bank to come out at this
time to develop a new face lift for
Abuja and the cities around. So
we have to start somewhere that is
why we are starting in Abuja.
We learnt that mass housing
units in FCT are still facing
challenges thereby making it
difficult to actualise this project
for the benefit of the masses in
Abuja?
I think the government of
Nigeria is involving and is bent
on changing things, because if
you see what we achieved in the
civilian era two times fast in the
government of late Yar’Adua and
Jonathan.AndPresidentJonathan
is in for another one now. I am
very happy that this present
government is giving emphasis
on mass housing and that is why
those who had been before, their
emphasis were not on mass
housing and they didn’t know
what it means and that is why
there had been a lot of corruption
on that side of our development.
But the present administration is
seeing it differently that we have
to provide for the people
adequate houses to live in. So it’s
this time now that the idea came
in and this time now God has
provided FHT to come on board
and to recommend to government,
and again the way they have
accepted it shows that our
government is forward looking.
So, what was done in the past, we
stand to correct them because we
are not stagnant, we have to

move, we have to develop. Our
own joy now is that the present
administration lays a lot of
emphasis on mass housing and
that is why FHT is into it and we
encourage it.
How do we attract foreign
investors into this country?
Since Nigeria is a developing
country, we have to give them
assurance of security that once
they are here, they are free and
open to invest their resources and
recover resources of houses
because building is not something
we can do immediately, it has to
take time and if investors are
coming on a long term basis to
work with us, we must have to
give them assurance that they are
secure here. And not only
security, they must be sure of
what they are coming to invest
upon. For instance, you have to
give them a land like we did in the
past. It’s not after giving them
land, you begin to see mushroom
people imposing themselves,
trespassing into the lands anyhow
as if there is no law. That one must
stop. So foreigners that are
coming must be assured of
returns on their investment.
Otherwise no investor would like
after investing his money dubious
people will now come and spoil
his investment. No investor
would like that. We have to make
sure that people abide by the roles
that are meant for that purpose so
that investors will not only be
secured but their investments as
well.
The insecurity in the land has
been blamed as a result of high
rate of unemployment especially
among our youths, if you share
that idea what is the way out of it?
I’m sure that has been the hue
and cry of Nigerians now that
unemployment is hype. So, it is
the responsibility of government
to have an environment that is
secure. It’s the responsibility of
government to have youth
employment. When people are
employed, all the vices that
militate the society will disappear.
And that is why we have all the
vices of corruption all about.
When corruption is stamped out,
unemployment is reduced to the
bearest minimum and then the
security of lives and property, this
place will be a paradise for living.
And that is the focus of the present
administration and they are
working towards that.

Amuwo-Odofin plans for
community development

T

he Ward A2 of AmuwoOdofin
Local
Government, under the
councillorship of Ariyibi
Olayiwola Ayodeji, at a town hall
meeting appointed some
youths of the community to assist and supervise the current
development going on in the
community under Ward A2.
Speaking at the meeting made
up of elders and youths, Councillor Ayodeji made it clear that
if a community must achieve its
desired development, it
requires the contribution of
everyone. He said that a great
community and nation is a result
of a symbiotic relationship
between the government and
the governed, adding that our
dear community can be a better
place if we all discover our
responsibilities, accept them
and take them up.
Ayodeji advised the elders
and the youths that if the
community must be conducive
for all and sundry, it must tackle

first, the challenges of security
and environmental degradation
among others; citing instances
of armed robbery in the community through the help of Okada
riders that ply their businesses
in the environ.
According to him, our dear
community is prone to epidemic
if care is not taken with the way
we manage our waste, saying
that illegal waste disposal site
is now a common sight in every
zone despite the law against it
and the efforts of the PSP
operators to keep the
environment clean. The rate at
which some residents channel
their toilet waste directly into
the drainage instead of the
septic tank is worrisome, as raw
waste can be seen inside
drainages, this act is very
dangerous to the health of all,
he said.
In conclusion, he thanked all
for chosing him to represent
them at the Amuwo-Odofin
Lagislative Council.

PRINCE Eduvie Efekodha, son of Hon. Anthony
Efekodha, former member of the House of
Representatives, Isoko Federal Constituency, and
Chief (Mrs) Betty Efekodha, Hon. Commissioner for
Women Affairs and Social Development took his
bride, Tessy Odudu to the altar in Delta state on
May 5th 2012.

spellbound with the
outing service in honour
of Deaconess Dorcas
Alake
Gbemisola
Adesoji, Iya EgbeAlaafia, CAC Alayo,
Zonal Headquarters
Osogbo who slept in the
Lord recently.
Many
notable
personalities from Ile-Ife
and beyond graced the
occasion which was as
exhilarating as it was
moving. Ovations, laden
with emotions poured
freely for the late woman
who many described as
an arduous worker in the
vineyard of the Lord.
Photos by Dare Fasube

ICAN induction
ONE of the inductees at the 49 th Induction
ceremony of new ICAN members held in AmuwoOdofin, Lagos state on the 19th of May is Mrs
Temitayo Anike Adenaike (nee Animashaun). Family
and friends joined the inductees to share in the joy
of the day

Mrs Temitayo Anike Adenaike flanked on the left
by her husband, Mr Bayo Adenaike and on the right
by her father, Mr Tolagbe Animashaun

F

olake George and Omotosin Charles Irojah
consummated their courtship in a Holy
Matrimony on May 5th 2012 before men of
God and a host of family and friends.

The happy couple; Omotosin Charles Irojah with
wife, Folake George

The couple; Mr Omotosin and Mrs Folake Irojah
with parents

The couple; Omotosin and Folake Irojah with
Best Man and Chief Bridesmaid

Missioner’s daughters
wed
MISSIONER of Ansar-u-deen, Amuwo ,Kuje
branch, Agboju gave his two daughters, Miss
Mariam Olafiku and former Miss. Rodiyat Olafiku
out the same day in Holy Nikkai ceremony to Mr.
Sulaimon Ilori and Abdullahi Qosim respectively

TILL basking from
their 4-1 pounding of
Sharks FC in a
rescheduled Week 25
game, Warri Wolves chief
coach, Edema Fuludu is
keen on picking points
from his team’s two away
games this weekend and
on Wednesday.
The ex-international
affirmed that the various
injuries and suspension
that have hit the team
will not stop their fight
for points from the two
games.
“All we are looking at
in the next two games
against Kano Pillars and
Jigawa Golden Stars is to
pull out the best
strength from the players
despite their injuries
and
suspension
following the stress of
playing in the continent,
the league and the
Federation
Cup.
Notwithstanding, we are
focused on grinding out
points from the games
because we are eying a
fast return to the

continent next season,”
Fuludu said.
The former Bendel
Insurance of Benin
gaffer stated that he
and his technical crew
led
by
Maurice
Cooreman capitalized
on the tiredness of the
Po r t H a r c o u r t s i d e
following their two
away games.
“Football is never

predictable until the final
result is out. The goals
just came easily for us
and we are grateful to
God for that. We have
experienced it before
playing two straight
away matches and
managing to pick one
point from each of them.
For Sharks, it is part of
the league and I know
they are aware of that.

•Coach Sanni

K

WARA United head
coach, Tunde Sanni
made it clear that the Ilorin
side would fight with all
their strength on the pitch
to climb up the league
table.
Making this known to
Inside Out Premier League
after watching his side

F
defeated by last season’s
runner-up, Sunshine Stars
of Akure by a lone goal at
the Ilorin Township
Stadium, Sanni said
Gombe United will not
survive his lads’ wrath this
weekend.
“We want to close up the
gap on the log and we can’t
do that without winning
games, so we are focused on

ORMER coach of
3SC football club of
Ibadan, Godfrey Esu has
said that the Nigerian
league is still far from
being well organised
when compared to
leagues in north African
countries, South Africa
as well as part of West
African countries.
Esu, in an exclusive
interview with Saturday
Vanguard sports, said
the must-win-at-home
syndrome has taken off
the beauty of the league,
adding that the Nigeria
Premier and National
Leagues hardly took
action on clubs found
guilty
of
unruly
behaviour.
“When you compare

•Morton
Fredericks' 48.91 is the
fastest African time so far in
the season.
Morton has also done
46.12 secs in the 400m and
officials are of the view that
with his time and that of
Abiola Onokoya who has

46.08, the 4x400m team
could win the ticket for the
Olympics.
It remained to be seen how
Morton will joggle between
Nigerian and Stanford
University. The athlete is said
to be heavily involved in the
NCAA programme in June.

Cross River School athletics ends

Kwara Utd eye victory over Gombe Utd
BY IME BASSEY

IGERIA's hope of
doing a refurbishment
on her men's 4x400m relay
team is hanging on the
balance as high flying USbased athlete, Amaechi
Morton is yet to commit
himself to running for
Nigeria.
Morton who represented
Nigeria at the 2009 World
Championships in Berlin,
Germany is being expected
to join the team that is yet
to book qualification ticket
for the London 2012
Olympics.
“We've been talking to the
athlete, but so far there is no
firm commitment from him.
But we expect him to join our
team since this is a chance
for him to participate in the
Olympics,” said an official of
the AFN in Lagos.
Morton recently ran an
Olympic A standard 48.95
seconds over the hurdles.
It is the fastest Nigerian
time in over a decade.
Henry Amike still holds the
national record of 48.50
seconds, a time he set in
1987. South Africa's Corrnel

Nigerian leagues to what
is happening in North
Africa and South African
leagues, our league is
still not there yet in terms
of organisation. Even
Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire
are better organisers than
Nigeria and the reason
is that we are not telling
ourselves the truth, that
is why things are not
moving forward.
“Look at the league, so
many fighting here and
there, teams want to win
at home by all means
and so employ all tactics.
And instead of the NPL
and NFF to sanction
clubs found guilty, they
just give them minimal
suspension which makes
other teams want to do
the same.

another victory this weekend
against Gombe United. We
are aware that they are a
decent side with good
individual play and team
work albeit, but we are
confident that we will smile
at the end of 90 minutes,”
Coach Sanni said.
On the propelling factor
for the team’s recent form,
the former Shooting Stars
defender said they have
been motivated with the
information that their signon fees and salaries would
soon be paid.
“The win last Wednesday
against Sunshine Stars,
shows how fired up we are
for an upward move on the
NPL log. We really thank
God for it but the real
impetus is the information
we heard about unpaid
salaries and sign-on fees
being made available to us
soon,” he disclosed.

IVE days of fun and
keen
athletics
competition comes to an
end today for Cross River
State school kids as the 3rd
edition of the Cross River
State Primary and
Secondary
Schools
Athletics Championships
enter its final day.
Over 2,500 athletes were

registered to participate in
this competition, which the
State Governor, Senator
Liyel Imoke flagged off on
Tuesday with pomp at the
U.J Esuene Stadium.
All 18 LGA's were
represented in the
Championships by two
athletes in each event. They
were selected from zonal

championships.
The competition is the pet
project of Governor Imoke
who has always been on
hand to grace the occasion
no
matter
his
engagements.
The
governor is hoping to
replicate Jamaica's success
in athletics in Nigeria
within a period of five years.

Idowu, Taylor clash in London

P

HILLIPS Idowu and
Christian Taylor will go
head-to-head in London in
their final triple jump
competition before one of
the
most
eagerlyanticipated Olympic
showdowns.
Idowu lost his world title
to Taylor in Daegu last year,
settling for a silver he is
determined to upgrade this
summer.
At just 21, Taylor is
considered one of the
brightest prospects in
athletics but Idowu has
started the season more
impressively, winning their
encounter at the recent

IAAF Diamond League
meeting in Shanghai.
And Idowu and Taylor
will both compete at the
Aviva London Grand Prix
at Crystal Palace on July 14,
just over three weeks before

they clash again at the
Olympic Stadium.
“I’ve got a good winter of
quality training under my
belt and now I’m aiming for
the gold medal,” said
Idowu.

AFN golden league lay low
in PH

T

HE Athletics Federation
of Nigeria, AFN, has
canceled the Lagos leg of
the Golden League and
keeps faith with Port
Harcourt, Rivers State
where most of the
participating athletes are
camped ahead of the
London 2012 Olympic
Games.
This, according to the
federation's technical
coordinator, Yusfu Alli, was
to beat cost and also
prevent the athletes from
traveling back and forth.
“Besides the track
facilities in Port Harcourt are
very up to standard and we
expect the athletes to put
up good performances,”
stated the former African
long jump champion.
Port Harcourt hosted the
4th leg of the Golden

League and it was due to
happen at the Yaba College
of Technology this
weekend.
Some of the highlights
include Tosin Adeloye, a
junior athlete lowering the
53.46 seconds she did at the
2nd Pastor D.K Olukoya
Under-18 Championships.
She clocked 52.97 in the
hotly contested women's
400m won by Policewoman,
Josephine Ehigie in 52.51.
She beat Cross- Rivers
State's Patience Okon to
second in 52.84 secs.
Other winners include:
Chinazom Amadi, women's
Long Jump in 6.38 metres;
Arinze Obiora, men's High
Jump in 2.05 metres;
Feyisayo
Daramola,
women's Hammer with
58.18 metres & Samuel
Okon with 14.11 secs in the
men's 110m hurdles.

ITH two more games left
to the end of the regular
season, Kano Pillars in the
Savannah Conference and the
Warriors may have booked a
place in the Final- 8 play-offs.
So far, both teams have kept a
clean sheet in games played
all season and are only waiting
for who in the pack will take
up the rest six slots for dates
fixed to finalise the season.
The log released by the
Nigeria Basketball Federation,
NBBF shows that Warriors lead
the Atlantic pack with 24
points in 12 games, 998 goals
in favour and 748 against. As
it stands now, defending
champions, Royal Hoopers,
who follow with 22 points, 870
goals in favour and 757
against, are hot favourites to
join Warriors for the title chase.
Same scenario exist in the
Savannah Conference where
Pillars top the log with 24
points but with higher goals
970 in favour and 639
conceded. By the same token,
Pillars are followed by Yelwa
Hawks who are on 22 points,
with 816 goals in favour and
726 against.
Across the conferences, the
standings followed results
obtained in Week-12 games.
While Pillars over ran Kadda
Stars 81-66 to remain
unbeaten, pushing the
Kaduna team to fouth place,

Niger Potters improved their
chances of being in the Final
8 with an 80-67 win over
Immigration of Minna to sit in
third place. Islanders, who
beat Chariots 64-59 moved to
third place in Atlantic on 19
points. The result thus
confirms Chariots for the lower
division.

The maiden edition of the MTN Alumni Golf Cup held last week at the Ikeja Golf Club.
General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN, Kola Oyeyemi (l), Gbenga Ayodele and Jimoh
Ogundare ®, both of St Augustine, Kabba, winners of the competition.

Chiejine confident Falconets'll
do well in Japan
BY EDDIE AKALONU

C

OACH Ann Chiejina has
said the current female U20 team have the flair, energy
and shooting power to take
Nigeria higher than any of the
national teams have ever done
in FIFA competitions going by
the
manner
of
their
qualification in dismissing all
opposition in Africa.
“I think we have passed the
level of Africa and it's now the
world to conquer. I saw that
ability in the team, so this time
they will go far and give us
what we have been expecting
over the years,” she stated in
Lagos.
The Falconets demolished
their DR Congo opponents 70 on aggregate last weekend
to book a place in the finals in

Japan from August 19 to
September 8.
Chijine, the former senior
team's goalkeeper and
assistant coach who witnessed
editions of the World Cup, said
the time between now and the
championship allows the
technical crew a good time not
only to blend the team she
sees as composed largely by a
crop of young players, but also

the leverage to still make
changes and
set a
champonship team in place.
“The time is enough to play
friendlies, blend the team and
may be inject capable new
players in places necessary. I
believe in the technical crew
too to perfect the job already
started at the competition.
It's time to conquer the world
because they are capable of

S part of activities to bring
up young and talents
footballers in the country,
Promasidor Nigeria Limited,
maker's of Cowbell Milk, in

collaboration with Multi-sports
Services and Entertainment
Limited, last Saturday
launched Cowbell Football
Academy at the Campos
Square in Lagos.
The event which was graced

Don reiter
ates im
por
ak
or athletes
reiterates
impor
porttance of liquid int
intak
akee ffor
A
N Associate Professor of
Exercise Physiology,
Human Kinetics and Health
Education, University of
Lagos, Grace Otinwa has said
it is necessary for Nigerian
athletes and other people to
take in fluids like Lucozade
Sports during exercises.
Otinwa stated that tropical
nature of Nigeria quickly
makes athletes dehydrated
which could lead to several
complications. This she said
made it an imperative for
athletes to drink fluids like
Lucozade sports.
She stressed this at the
Lucozade Sport Gymn
Instructors Forum in Lagos
recently.
According to her, athletes
who experience significant
dehydration
will
also
experience a significant
increase in core body
temperature.
“Experience has shown that

in Nigeria, some athletes
either collapse during or after
a race or competition as well
as suffer severe undetermined

cramp or leg pains,” she said,
adding, “dehydration incurred
before or during sustained
exercise often impairs physical

performance. Lucozade Sports
is good for athletes and other
people engaged in exercise.”

Mark, Oyinlola tee off in CMCL golf tourney
BY IME BASSEY

S

ENATE President, David
Mark, former governor of
Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye
Oyinloa and Benin High Chief,
Sam Iredia are some of the notables expected to tee off in the
amateur category of the 14th
edition of the annual CMCL
open golf championship.
Also expected at the highbrow
Ibrahim Babangida International golf and country club in
Abuja this weekend are former
Internal Affairs minister, John
Shagaya, former Arewa Consultative Forum chairman, General IBM Haruna, Lanre Shagaya
from Ilorin and others drawn

doing it but first they must
believe in themselves.
If they do, they will achive.
That's what I now look forward
to,” she said, adding “the
technical crew too must adopt
new tactical approach and
perfect it as they prepare.
That done, I bet they are
ready to prosecute the World
Cup. Time has come for
Nigeria to stamp our feet at the
world stage. That's why I said
we have gone beyond Africa.”

from across the country.
The competition which teed off
on Tuesday with professional
golfers is being organised to
coincide with the 56th birthday
celebration of Otunba Olusola
Adekanola, the Chairman of
CMCL Golf Tours Limited.
Known for his philanthropist
gesture, Adekanola is reputed
to be the soul of the game of
golf in the country.
The CMCL competition is the
longest running event in the
Nigeria’s golf calendar beside
the Lagos state amateur open.
Apart from the CMCL which
has become a must play among
discerning golfers, tournament
like the, famed International

Pairs, Jamaican Double, Sea
Craft are some of the other
event that has the signature of
Adeknaola, the golf philanthropist.
Remi Olukoya, the Chief Executive officer of CMCL Golf
Tours limited says Adekanola
support for the game of golf
steam from his desire to see to
the wellbeing of those whose
livelihood depend on the sports
and to contribute to the development of the game and the
society in general.
That explained his decision to
send some talented Nigerian
professional golfer on training
programme to South Africa
some years back.

by sports personalities from
different parts of the country
had young talents competing
in football competition.
Managing Director, of
Promasidor, Chief Keith
Richards however, disclosed to
Saturday Vanguard Sports that
the company is committed to
nation
building
and
development through sports,
adding that their focus is to
ensure that the academy
drives through its dream of
producing better players and
citizens in the country.
“We the Cowbell family are
glad to have partnered with
Multi-sports. For this reason,
we have decided to help their
dream through the Cowbell
Football Academy under the
watchful eyes of Nigeria's own
sports maverick, Godwin
Dudu Orumen.”
Meanwhile, proprietor of the
Football Academy, Dudu
Orumen said the purpose of
establishing the academy is to
give opportunity to young
talents in the country to
unleash their potential and be
better persons in the society.
“Basically, the purpose of its
establishment is to give young
stars the opportunity to
showcase their talent and also
become better persons in life,”
Orumen said.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 26, 2012

Ikhana upbeat on Falcons
win in Harare
BY IME BASSEY

S

UPER Falcons head
coach, Kadiri Ikha-

na has expressed readiness of his team ahead of
the 2012 African Women

GOAL-LINE … As a way of ending the controversy referees decisions on balls around the goal-line during matches, independent
testers are expected to use the England/Belgium friendly at the Wembley on June 2, 2012 to test the Goal-line technology being
proposed by FIFA. Photo courtesy BBC

NATION CUP/WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS:

Okaro fears for
Eagles
By KATE OBODO

A

s the Super
Eagles get set for
next month’s
2014 World Cup/ 2013
Nations Cup qualifiers,
renowned military sports
administrator, BrigadierGeneral
Emmanuel
Okaro (rtd) has expressed
fears over the team’s
qualification for both
competitions if Stephen
Keshi fails to feature the
best and experienced
players.
The Eagles will play
Namibia in Calabar on
June 3 in a World Cup
qualifier and travel to
Blantyre the following
week for the second
group match against
Malawi after which they
will also welcome
Rwanda for the second
leg qualifier for the 2013
Nations Cup on June 17
in Calabar.
However,
General
Okaro has advised Keshi
to get the best foreign-

based players that would
blend with the homebased if he must qualify
for both the 2013
Nations Cup and 2014
World Cup.
“My fear for the team
is the crop of players
that Stephen Keshi is
banking on. For me, I
see the team struggling
to qualify. We may have
an edge over Namibia,
Rwanda and the rest of
them but it would be
very difficult because of
the new boys Keshi is
bringing in.
The most important
aspect is having players
who are in form, good
and experienced in the
game that would blend
with the local boys.
John Utaka, for example
is one players that is in
form and I think Keshi
should look into him.
“What I really want
Keshi to do is to feature
the best strikers and
especially those who are
currently in form. For

instance Utaka is a good
striker and also a clinical
finisher. Other players
are Ahmed Musa and
Osaze Odemwingie.
If he features Utaka, he
may get the best out of
him because he is doing
well in his club. And as
an experienced player, I
doubt if he would
struggle with the home-

based players rather they
would look up to him for
leadership.
The home based
players are not too
experienced, he can
blend them with the
foreign players but he
needs the foreign-based
players much more than
the local ones,” General
Okaro stressed.

He said Mikel Obi’s
game has improved in his
club ( Chelsea), but that
“he has always felt that he
is indispensable in the
national team. Therefore,
I’m not going to rate him
because of Chelsea’s
victory as he remains one
player that cannot be
relied on in the national
team.
In all, Keshi, should
ensure that he gets
quality players that would
earn him the desired
results if he must succeed
in getting both the
Nations Cup and World
Cup tickets, or else it
would be another disaster
for Nigerian football.”

Championship qualifying first leg fixture
against Zimbabwe in
Harare on May 27.
Speaking to Saturday
Vanguard Sports after
the unveiling his 21
women team list, Ikhana assured Nigerians
that team will make the
country proud.
“We are readily prepared for the Zimbabwe
game and the players
are in brilliant shape to
execute the game. I am
quite sure they will
make Nigerians proud
over the two legs.
“The team is a mix of
the home-based and foreign players to execute
the Sunday game after
which the foreign players will return to their
clubs leaving those
based in Nigeria to face
Bayana Bayana of South
Africa in the June 3rd
friendly,” the former
Kwara United gaffer
said.
The team is expected
to play its return leg on
June 16 at the Teslim
Balogun Stadium in Lagos following the approval by the Nigeria
Football Federation
(NFF).